Girls on the Run
by Hafl
Summary: After the fall of Beacon, Blake wants to run away to protect everyone. Unfortunately, Weiss refuses to let her go alone even though bringing a Schnee to visit Menagerie is a recipe for disaster.
1. I - At the Docks

The waterside docks of Vale weren't the pandemonium of activity the Vale's airship docks were, but they were still bustling with more people than Blake had ever seen there before. People too poor to afford an airship ride out of Vale and people who didn't want to wait for space to open on one of the airship were all around, dragging suitcases and little children with them, all hoping to find some way of leaving the kingdom stricken with the worst disaster in living memory. It was simple for Blake to go unnoticed in such an environment.

No one knew what she was about to do. Ruby was unconscious with Weiss at her side while Yang… Yang was hurt because of Blake. Because Blake thought that she could leave her past behind and keep it from hurting the people that she cared about. Now that it all turned out to be a fantasy, there was only one thing Blake could do to protect everyone. She had to go.

It turned out that there were many ships heading for Menagerie. Even after a semblance of order was restored the Faunus of Vale were not keen on staying in a city where they could be easily blamed for the White Fang attack. Fear and desperation were in the air and the Faunus had always made a convenient scapegoat. The perils of a long sea voyage were preferably to fear of being killed by one's own neighbors.

Blake did not have many belongings to take with her, so she didn't fear that she would be turned away for lack of space. It was impossible to return to the small room that she had called home, so all she had were her weapon, her Scroll, and the clothes on her back. Just another rat looking for a lifeboat to escape from the sinking ship that was Vale.

She found a ship that had just arrived at the docks and so was presumably still taking on passengers. Just as she was about to head over to it, she heard a familiar voice calling her, "Blake!"

She broke into a run. Everyone would learn about her escape sooner or later, so trying to talk her way out of this would be pointless. If she managed to get on board the ship and hide, she had enough money on her to pay for her trip once the ship was on the sea. The multitude of people crowding the area would make any pursuit difficult and Blake was an expert at running away.

Or so she thought, but just as she turned around a corner to get out of her pursuer's sight, she slammed into a bright white glyph that made her lose her balance and fall to the ground. That was enough for Weiss to catch up with her. "Blake Belladonna, do you mind explaining why you're running away from me?" she said while catching her breath.

Of all the people she could run into it had to be Weiss. Anyone else she could just run away from, but Weiss would just get the wrong idea. Weiss didn't let it show, but she loved being at Beacon more than anyone else and now that Beacon was gone, she would be very angry. Weiss usually used anger to mask other emotions and that anger could lead her to believe that Blake trying to run away was proof of her still being connected to the White Fang. Weiss, in spite of all her flaws and issues, was Blake's friend. She couldn't let her believe something like that.

"I'm leaving Vale," said Blake, "I was looking for a ship."

Weiss opened her mouth as if to say something, but she just ended up staring at Blake. None of the people rushing around them paid the pair any attention. Just like Blake and Weiss, they were all too preoccupied with their own problems to pay attention to someone else.

"Without saying a word to anyone?" said Weiss after she finally managed to gather her thoughts.

Blake nodded. "Is that wrong?" she asked.

"Of course it is!" cried Weiss, "Don't you remember what you promised? We're your friends and we're here for you, so stop and talk to us."

Tears started to well up in Blake's eyes, but she angrily wiped them off with the back of her hand. "Why do you think I'm leaving?" she yelled at Weiss, "The White Fang, Adam, they won't stop until they kill everyone I care about. Look what happened to Yang because of me! Everyone's in danger if I'm around!"

Weiss' voice was almost calm, but Blake could hear that it trembled a little. "Blake, get up." Blake did so and Weiss continued, "I'm going to do this just once, so don't read too much into it."

And with that Weiss hugged Blake. Once again, tears welled up in Blake's eyes, but the smaller girl's arms wrapped around her prevented her from wiping them off. She could hear Weiss mumbling something into her chest. "You unbelievable dolt."

Weiss broke the hug and took a step away from Blake. The smaller girl was blushing furiously from embarrassment, but her voice was firm and didn't betray any of the emotion that was in it mere moments before. "Blake, we're a team. I don't blame you for what happened. Ruby doesn't blame you for what happened and I'm sure Yang doesn't blame you. But… if you absolutely insist that you have to leave, I'm going with you."

"What?" said Blake, "Didn't you hear what I said? Even if you don't blame me, now that I know Adam's after my friends, it will be my fault the next time something happens to one of you."

Weiss held up her hand to stop Blake from saying more. "Two things," she said, "One, it will still be your crazy ex-boyfriend's fault, not yours. Two, do you really think the White Fang won't go after _Weiss Schnee_ just because you're not around?"

"Why do you want to go with me?" replied Blake, unwilling to admit that Weiss might had had a point.

"Because Ruby and Yang are both recovering and I won't let you run away alone," said Weiss and held up her Scroll, "Plus I got a message from my family's butler, Klein. The CCTS might be down, but my father spent a lot of money to obtain a permission for the SDC to use emergency military channels. My father is coming here to bring me home whether I like it or not. If we're both running away, we might as well go together."

"You're not going to change your mind no matter what I say," replied Blake. She was starting to resign herself to her fate.

"I'm Weiss Schnee and I made my decision," said Weiss with a smile.

Blake sighed. She couldn't believe that out of all the people she met at Beacon, it would be Weiss Schnee who would accompany her when leaving. The heiress – probably ex-heiress by now – turned out to be very different from what she knew the Schnees to be.

"Before we go," said Blake, "You should know that I'm headed to Menagerie."

After a White Fang camp, Menagerie was the place a member of the Schnee family would be the least welcome. The Faunus there might have given up on fighting the humans, but they would not be happy with a Schnee waltzing right up to their homes.

"Menagerie?" said Weiss in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. "I can dye my hair. Maybe get one of those animal ear hairbands. If you could pass for a human, I could pass for a Faunus. Do I need a special perfume for that?"

An image of Weiss with Faunus ears flashed through Blake's mind and she had to laugh. "No one in Menagerie will try to actually hurt you," she said, "They'll just be extremely unfriendly."

"I can handle unfriendly. It'll be just like coming back home," said Weiss, "Why Menagerie though? Is it because the White Fang doesn't bother operating there?"

"There's that," said Blake, "But also my family lives there."

"Your family?" Weiss got a thoughtful expression on her face. "Belladonna. Menagerie… Don't tell me…"

Blake nodded. "My father's the chieftain of Menagerie and the founder of White Fang."

"I feel so stupid right now," said Weiss, "How could I have missed that?" She looked around as if looking for something. "I should get that hair dye after all. How big of a grudge does your father have against me and my family?"

"Huge," admitted Blake, "But he wouldn't want to help the current White Fang by tearing you into pieces."

"That's good to hear," replied Weiss, though her hand was still hovering over her rapier's hilt. "Now unless you want to go back to Beacon to look for our things, we should find a ship."

"I already found one," said Blake, "It just docked, so there should still be room on board. We should hurry."

She set out towards the ship and Weiss followed her. Blake was surprised to find herself smiling. She did not know why Weiss cared so much about her that she would go with her to Menagerie of all places, but her heart felt lighter now that she wasn't alone.

"You should send a message to Yang before we're out of local network range," said Weiss as they lined up to board the ship, "She deserves to know why you're gone."

Weiss was right and Blake knew it. Yang got horribly injured because of Blake. She did not want to think about it, not now at least, but now that Weiss brought it up, Blake had to face it. Yang was her partner and she had saved Blake more times than Blake could remember. Now that Weiss gave her the push she needed, there was no way Blake could just disappear without a word.

"I'll send her a message," said Blake. She wasn't really sure what to say to Yang, but she could at least try to cheer her up a little. "I could ask her to tell your father something when he comes looking for you. Something that would make him really angry."

Weiss eyes sparkled at the thought. "Do I really want to know?" she asked, "I'm already going to get disowned when he shows up and doesn't find me so if you think it'll help Yang, go ahead."

Blake just nodded and started writing the message.

_I'm sorry Yang. I can't face you after what happened. Not right now, maybe not ever. I can't stay, so I'm running away again. I'm sorry. I wanted to just disappear, but Weiss caught me and made me send you a message. She's going with me. When her father comes asking after her, tell him that we've eloped together. We are not actually eloping._

**Note: It has absolutely nothing to do with the story, but I took the story's title from one of the stories in Hitoma Iruma's 2017 collection Shoujo Mousouchuu.**


	2. II - Ghost Pirates!

Weiss Schnee had a problem. Multiple problems, in fact, but things like the cramped ship cabin or the lack of change of clothes caused by her hurry to disappear from Vale did not gnaw at her like this one. She was becoming fairly certain that she was strongly attracted to her friend Blake. Now that she had left her father's family behind for good she was sure that this attraction was not just some form of defiance. In any case, Blake's suggestion to Yang about what she should say to Jacques Schnee searching for his daughter meant that not only were Weiss' bridges burned, but also that the earth was salted, wells poisoned and the populace sold to slavery.

The thought of Yang telling her father that she had eloped with a Faunus brought recent memories to her mind. Her short stature meant that when she hugged Blake at the docks, her face came far too close to Blake's chest. She could recall all the sensations that accompanied it in uncomfortably vivid detail. The smell of Blake's subtle perfume mixed with the smell of ash and fire with a hint of sweat from the hours of fighting lurking just underneath. The warmth of Blake's body reminded Weiss just how lucky team RWBY was to have all of its members still alive. The softness of Blake's body hiding her muscles let Weiss know that this was the feeling she wanted to wake up to every morning from now on.

The physical aspect of the attraction was the most troubling one. There were many people Weiss considered attractive for various reasons: Coco for her impeccable fashion sense, Neptune for being just so… cool, and though she would never admit it, Ruby for her exuberance and optimism. However, she never wondered about what their lips would feel like or how they looked without clothes. Though in Ruby's case she did not have to wonder because of Ruby's general lack of boundaries and shockingly selective ignorance in the matters of human relationships. Blake was a mystery in that regard. She was so practiced in hiding her Faunus nature she did not let slip any unguarded moment in the months of living together in the same room. The mystery was intriguing and Weiss had to admit that Blake's knack for picking the worst possible course of action out of concern for others was while infuriating also adorable in a way.

The shadows on the ship's deck lengthened considerably while she was thinking. Weiss was doing a lot of thinking during this trip. Blake seemed to have her own worries and the other passengers did not seem interested in conversing with strangers which suited Weiss just fine. Besides, they were mostly Faunus and if there was a group among which the Schnee family was more infamous, Weiss did not know about it.

The sun had yet to touch the horizon, but the ship's deck was already completely dark, so Weiss went inside. Blake was probably still watching the waves, but shadows and darkness were her 'thing' in a sense. As expected, the cabin Weiss shared with Blake was empty except for their sparse belongings. Despite their possessions being so few, the cabin still felt more crowded than their room at Beacon. Weiss and Blake's bunks faced each other, so they could easily stare at each other if they wanted to. They never did.

After spending most of the day outside, the air in the cabin felt stuffy. Weiss opened the small window and secured it against closing. The sea was calm today and there was no danger of the waves reaching high enough for water to spray inside. With the sea breeze now free to enter the cabin, Weiss lay down on the bed and tried to relax. Ever since she boarded the ship, she felt tense, as if someone was observing her and Blake. She had tried to count the other passengers, but nothing seemed off. None of them paid much attention to Blake and the only attention Weiss got was an occasional venomous glare. Besides, the feeling of being watched did not go away even in their cabin.

Weiss was unable to relax and she wasn't tired. Sleeping seemed like an impossibility. She wished the ship had some room where she could train with Myrtenaster and tire herself out that way, but all the space onboard was either too cramped or too filled with passengers. Practicing her summoning was also out of the question. Or was it? It couldn't be anything large if she wanted to avoid damaging the ship, but maybe a Creep would fit inside the cabin.

She drew Myrtenaster and started to concentrate. As her glyph appeared, a white light filled the cabin. The summoning was as difficult as ever. Weiss knew that she could do it, but without the rush of adrenaline, it seemed like a superhuman task once again. Sweat started to form on her forehead as she tried to call the creature into being. Then, suddenly, the white light was replaced with green and Weiss dropped her concentration in surprise. The green light remained and when Weiss came to look out of the window, she saw that it was the signal light of another ship. The sun was now low on the horizon and on the opposite end of the ship, but the other vessel still stood out in contrast against the darkening sky. It was even more old-fashioned than the ship Weiss was on, with multiple masts and sails. Ships like this had stopped crossing the seas years ago because of how easily the Grimm could disable them. Then, suddenly both the ship and the light vanished suddenly, plunging the cabin into darkness.

Weiss blinked in surprise. She stared out of the window for a few more seconds, but the ship did not reappear. Even if it did, there would be something strange going on. Every single one of her instincts was telling her that whatever the ship was, it was dangerous. The cabin was dark and filled with shadows, but until she knew what exactly the danger was, Weiss wasn't going to use her meager Dust supply.

She had to find Blake. The two of them were the only people on board with Hunter training, although unfinished. When she left the cabin, she saw that the ship's inner corridors were also filled with shadows with each light only illuminating its immediate surroundings and not much beyond. Weiss listened, but apart from the unusual darkness, the ship seemed normal. The only sounds were the occasional creaking of floorboards and snippets of conversation carried by the wind.

The deck wasn't far and Blake would probably be there. When Weiss arrived there, everything looked so normal that she started to doubt whether anything was amiss at all. She realized that she looked unhinged, rushing to the deck with her weapon drawn. Luckily, no one seemed to had been paying any attention when she arrived. The weather was mild, the sun had barely set and the moon was almost full and bright, so many passengers were still on deck, enjoying the voyage while trying to forget the chaos that they had left behind in Vale.

Blake was among them, though she was not talking to anybody. She was just staring at the water and the unchanging horizon. She had not worn her bow since they left Vale and her cat ears twitched slightly every time a colder gust of wind hit them. They hadn't talked much in spite of sharing a cabin and Blake seemed to always have a sad look on her face which irritated Weiss. Blake wasn't supposed to feel sad and alone, that's why Weiss came with her. That's why she was going to Menagerie instead of running to Vacuo where there were far less people with a grudge against her.

She walked over and joined Blake in leaning against the railing. Blake's ears twitched, but she otherwise didn't acknowledge Weiss' presence. "What are you thinking about?" asked Weiss.

Blake sighed. "I let everyone down again," she said in a quiet voice without looking at Weiss. "I let down my parents when I stayed with the White Fang. I let down the White Fang by running away to Beacon. And I let down everyone at Beacon by running away instead of helping."

Weiss turned away from Blake to look at the sea. "You didn't let everyone down. I'm here because of you," she said," My father would have probably found me by now if I didn't run away to the last place he would look." It wasn't exactly a lie. Her father was definitely going to try and hunt her down if only to prevent embarrassment to the family name.

When Blake didn't reply, Weiss continued after a moment of silence. "And you didn't let anyone down. You always do what you think is right. It's just that the right things sometimes change." Like with me and listening to father, she added to herself.

Blake continued her silence for a few more seconds. "Yang needed me and I left her. I would have left her without a word if you didn't make me send her a message," she said, "What kind of partner am I?"

Weiss had to think about what to say. Blake and Yang were opposites in a certain sense, just like her and Ruby, but their relationship seemed much tighter. Ruby eventually realized that Weiss needed some space to herself and in comparison, Blake and Yang's relationship seemed much more… intimate. When she thought of that word, Weiss felt a dull pain in her chest, but she forced herself to ignore it. This wasn't the time to be jealous. This was the time to be supportive, even if she did not really have an idea how to do it.

"Yang has Ru-, her father," she said at length. "And it looks like you thought you need your parents."

Blake turned to look at Weiss, her amber eyes almost glowing in the lamplight. "What about you? Don't you want to see your parents?"

This was a bit of a sore subject, but Weiss deserved it for having brought up family. She shook her head. "I think I'm just as disowned as Winter by now," she said. _I'm sorry_, she added in her mind. She'd probably never find the courage to tell Blake or anyone else, but she wished that she had started to look at things herself sooner rather than blindly believing her father for so long.

"Did you see that?" asked Blake all of a sudden and pointed into the distance.

There was nothing at the spot Blake was pointing at, but Weiss had a hunch that she knew what Blake was talking about. "A ship? Flashing a green signal light? That disappeared into thin air?"

"You saw it," said Blake.

"Not exactly," corrected Weiss, "I saw it before I came on deck."

"What do you think of it?" asked Blake.

"I have no idea," replied Weiss, "But it feels wrong."

Just as Weiss finished saying that, the entire ship shuddered as something hit its side. The ship Weiss had seen before appeared out of nothing right next to their ship. At this distance, Weiss could make out details and they made her shudder in dread. The ship, if it was a ship, seemed made out of the same dark matter that the Grimm were. Dozens upon dozens of red eyes shone on its deck. With a low rumbling roar, the Grimm Pirates started boarding their ship.

In the panic that ensued, only Weiss and Blake seemed capable of fighting the monsters. The crew were armed, but they had to move against the passengers trying to flee to relative safety below decks. Weiss previously ran out of the cabin with Myrtenaster ready and Blake seemed to always have Gambol Shroud ready. The individual creatures were easily defeated. They did not even defend themselves, but the weight of their numbers made Weiss and Blake slowly retreat.

These Grimm pirates were unlike any Grimm Weiss had encountered before. It wasn't that surprising. There were many still unknown varieties of Grimm, especially underground or under the sea. What was unusual was how 'human' these monsters seemed. Their shape was human-like and the white bone plates that served Grimm as armor were instead wielded like sabers and cleavers. The Grimm were not skilled fighters. After taking out a dozen or so, Weiss finally noticed that the pirates did not fight like Grimm. Instead, they moved in a clumsy imitation of human movement and fencing styles.

With a tremendous roar, the crew's guns finally joined the fight. The wave of Grimm faltered for a moment as the hail of bullets hit them, but the relief was only momentary. The pause was brief, but it gave Weiss enough time to notice something. The fallen pirates did not fade away like Grimm normally did. Instead, the slid away back towards the pirate ship and disappeared into the ranks of pirates coming in to join the fray.

"They're not dying," cried Weiss and that was enough to make Weiss fatally distracted.

Blake looked at Weiss with a question in her eyes and she didn't see one of the pirates raise a massive bone cleaver to strike at her neck. Weiss started to form a glyph to propel Blake out of the way, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Blazing light hit the Grimm, scattering them all around and a split second later, Blake's Faunus friend Sun had joined them in the fight.

"Sun!" exclaimed Blake, "What are you doing here?"

"Later," he replied, "You get on the ship, I'll hold them here."

Weiss and Blake looked at each other and nodded. The pirate ship was mere feet away and the jump would be easy if it wasn't for the seemingly endless wave of Grimm surging forward. If there ever was a time to use Dust, it was now. Weiss switched to fire Dust and released a blaze to clear a spot for them.

The attack was even more effective than expected. The fire burned not only the pirates, but also the Grimm flesh that seemed to cover the entirety of the ship. When Blake and Weiss landed on the exposed spot, the heard a dull thud of their shoes hitting wood. When she looked down, Weiss saw that she was standing on wooden planks blackened with age. The other things she noticed was that the ship seemed pulsating and she could barely hear a thudding noise like that of a heartbeat.

A hatch leading below decks was yawning open near them and Blake took lead in heading there with Weiss following in tow. The pirates paid them little notice as they continued to assault the ship. The constant sound of gunfire was enough proof that the crew was holding their own for the moment.

The musty smell of mold assaulted Weiss' nose inside the ship. All of the passages were obscured by layers upon layers of shuddering Grimm flesh. As Blake started to hack at it, human-like shapes started to emerge from walls: the same Grimm pirates they fought above.

"Open the way, I'll cover you," yelled Weiss. Myrtenaster was not much of a cutting weapon, but in the cramped space of the ship, thrusting attacks would be much more effective. There was not enough space to swing a blade of Myrtenaster's size. The pirates advanced just as clumsily as before and individually they were unable to measure up against Weiss, but their numbers were once again enough to slowly push her back even as they fell and were reabsorbed into the ship's flesh.

Once more Weiss was forced to rely on Dust to gain space. As before, the Grimm burned away, leaving behind bare, blackened wood. When the flames made contact with the Grimm matter, the entire ship rumbled and emitted a roar of pain that was coming from all around them. The Grimm, the enormous Grimm that was both the pirate ship and its crew was in pain.

The sound of Blake cutting the flesh stopped and Blake rushed past Weiss to the exposed area. She struck the floor and the rotten wood gave way and collapsed. The sound of heartbeat got stronger. "Let's go!" yelled Blake and jumped down into the opening. Weiss followed her, using glyphs to slow down her fall in lieu of catlike reflexes.

The glow of Myrtenaster's blade wasn't enough to light up the whole area where they found themselves. Decades, maybe even centuries ago, this had to have been the ship's main cargo hold. Even now Weiss could see shapes that were probably crates and barrels engulfed in Grimm flesh. The sound of a beating heart got louder.

Weiss heard Blake gasp and turned around to follow the cat Faunus' gaze. An enormous orb, glowing red like a Grimm eye nested on a pedestal made out of Grimm armor plates. It was beating like a heart, but it was also watching the intruders in its body. With each beat, globs of Grimm flesh surged out of it and the armor plates seemed to grow taller. Weiss looked upwards. The hole they fell through was already being sealed with a new layer of flesh.

Blake seemed to recover from her surprise and charged the organ. It oozed out flesh and bone in an attempt to protect itself, but Blake's blade still managed to cut it. Foul-smelling blood spewed out of the wound and the entire ship shuddered, but the wound seemed to be a shallow one.

Sounds of movement all around them alerted Weiss to the Grimm pirates shambling towards them. Their forms seemed incomplete, half-finished, but their numbers were great and the two Hunters were surrounded. Weiss quickly looked at the heart. The bone plates were still slowly growing over it, but there were gaps between them. They were not large, but Myrtenaster's blade should be enough to fit in between them.

"Cover me," she yelled, "I'll take out the heart."

Blake just nodded and charged the approaching pirates with such a speed they were barely able to react. The moment of respite was enough for Weiss to check that Myrtenaster still had enough fire Dust. Her first stab was a little off and slid off the bone plates, leaving only a scratch on them. She aimed true with her second attempt and let the Dust engulf Myrtenaster's blade in flames. When the explosion came, Weiss instinctively ducked to avoid a bone plate flying towards her, but it was already dissolving into nothingness. She could see nothing for a moment as the enormous mass of Grimm flesh evaporated all around her. Once it was gone all that remained was a dark and rotten cargo hold of an ancient ship.

"We did it," Weiss stated simply and took a step towards Blake.

The rotten wooden floor gave way under her. The Grimm flesh must have been all that kept the ship still together. None of the wood in the ship's construction was strong enough to stop her fall and Weiss fell all the way down through the rotting hulk and into the dark sea.

Weiss had enough self-control to not let out her breath in panic, but that was all. The sea was cold and completely dark. Myrtenaster's glow was visible only as dim glow even though it had to be only inches away from her face. She kept her grip on her blade. She wasn't about to lose it and it got in her way much less than her waterlogged clothing.

At least with the ship falling apart above her, she didn't have any trouble knowing which way was up. On the other hand, her head getting hit with a piece of wood was a real danger. She called a glyph above her head to protect herself from that and it gave off enough light to see around at least a little. Besides some rapidly disintegrating pieces of wood there was nothing else in the water: no fish and, more importantly, no Grimm.

Weiss picked a side at random and began to swim hoping that she'd be able to get to open water. She knew her chances were slim even though she was a reasonably accomplished swimmer and had her glyphs to help out. Her waterlogged clothes were dragging her down and she was starting to feel the lack of oxygen. She made it some distance, a dozen yards maybe, when it got brighter above her hand. She either made it from below the ship or the ship had finished falling apart.

She changed her direction to move upwards, but her arms felt like lead and her lungs were burning. The best she could do was struggle against her clothes dragging her deeper. Weiss tried to create a glyph that would propel her upwards, but her concentration slipped. All her instincts were telling her she had to breathe.

Rescue came at the last moment. Something wrapped itself around her sword arm and she felt herself being dragged towards the water's surface. The sea air touched her face and Weiss finally allowed herself to breathe. Gambol Shroud's ribbon was wrapped around her arm and it led to Blake who was standing on the deck of their ship together with Sun. The Grimm ship was nowhere to be seen. All that remained of it were pieces of wood bobbing up and down on the waves.

Weiss let herself be dragged onto the ship's deck. Her hand was still clutching Myrtenaster whose blade was still glowing. The knowledge that her weapon did not end up on the bottom of the ocean gave Weiss almost as much relief as the rescue.

"Thanks, Blake," she said and smiled. She was so tired it felt like an impossible task, "I owe you."

Blake mumbled something in response. Weiss couldn't hear what, but she was fairly sure that the word "idiot" was involved.

"What are you doing here, Sun?" Weiss asked the first question that came to her.

"Actually, nevermind," she continued, "I'm too tired to listen to explanations now."

And with that, Weiss' eyelids closed and she fell asleep right there on the deck.

**Note: Ghost Pirates is the title of a 1909 horror novel by William Hope Hodgson which is much creepier and much less cheesy than the title would suggest. Hodgson's 1912 short story Derelict features a derelict ship overgrown by mold that has evolved into a living organism.**


	3. III - Homecoming Storm

The moment the exhausted Weiss was dried off and tucked into bed, Blake turned to Sun. "Care to explain why you're on this ship too?" she asked.

Sun shrugged and grinned. "You looked like someone needed to keep an eye on you when you left Beacon. My team can get back to Haven on their own, so I figured I'd tag along. That was before I saw that Weiss was going with you."

When Blake didn't say anything to that, Sun winked at her. "I wouldn't have come if I knew I was intruding upon your privacy, but it was too late by the time I noticed."

Blake instantly knew what Sun was insinuating. "That's just a story to make Weiss' father mad," she said, "And how do you know about it anyway?"

"Uh, I just saw how you two acted near each other," replied Sun, "By the way, I'm sorry for trying to put moves on you earlier. I didn't know you…"

Blake sighed. She hated situations like this, but this wasn't something she could just leave unexplained and let Sun continue making assumptions. Besides, she was on a ship. Even if she ran away, she'd be found soon. "Look, Sun," she said, "Weiss and I both have… trouble when it comes to making the first move when meeting other people. That's why we were together, we thought there was no one else on board. As for you 'putting moves on me', if I didn't like it, I would have told you so."

"Right," said Sun, his monkey tail swinging in the air, "Glad you cleared that up."

Blake turned to look at the sleeping Weiss. She was breathing steadily, but Blake couldn't help but worry a little. Weiss wasn't choking when she got out of the water, but there was no telling if she swallowed some seawater or the rotting debris the ship had crumbled into. She had no injuries, but that by itself wasn't a guarantee. Blake wanted to believe that a hospital in Menagerie would take Weiss as a patient, but she didn't want to have to test that belief.

But it looked like Weiss was just exhausted and Blake was feeling tired herself. She turned to Sun. "Can you watch over her for a bit?" she asked, "I need to sleep."

"Sure," said Sun, "But it might be better if I left. This is your cabin too, isn't it?"

"It is," said Blake, "And I don't mind you staying here for now. If I know you, you stowed away on the ship and have no proper place to sleep."

"Well," said Sun, "The Captain was really grateful for the help I have during the attack and let me borrow some blankets for the cargo hold. The cabins are full, you see. But…"

"I bet you'd rather sleep in a cabin with heating," Blake finished his thought for him, "There's not much room here, but I'm sure you'll fit in somewhere."

Sun grinned. "Thanks, Blake," he said, "I knew I could count on you."

"Just get ready for Weiss asking questions when she wakes up," said Blake, "Now give me some privacy to get changed."

Sun was gone from the room in a flash. When Blake finally shut her eyes she wondered if she'd even wake up before the next night.

The ship made good time after its dangerous encounter and Menagerie's shoreline became visible only a week after that. It would still take a day of sailing along the coast before they'd come to port, but dread was starting to creep up on Blake. What was Weiss thinking going to Menagerie like it was nothing? And what was Blake thinking when she let her do it? She could had run away, hide in the chaos of Vale for a day or two and then set out for Menagerie alone. Dragging Weiss along was just irresponsible.

She sighed as she watched the rocky coastline and the sparse vegetation that managed to survive there. No wonder some Faunus would rather join the White Fang than accept the 'privilege' of settling one of the most inhospitable and dangerous corners of Remnant.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Weiss' voice. Blake turned around and saw Weiss emerging onto deck from inside the ship.

"Nothing much," lied Blake when Weiss arrived at her side.

"Are you sure?" asked Weiss, "You looked like you're worried about something."

"I was thinking about Menagerie," admitted Blake and turned back to look at the slowly moving coast, "Why didn't the Faunus see getting this island as an insult. It's either desert or Grimm; land that's so worthless no one even tried settling it for centuries."

Weiss stayed silent for a moment and Blake regretted bringing up the subject. It wasn't a pleasant one for either one of them. However, it was Weiss who broke the uncomfortable silence. "I think they were insulted," she said, "But they were too tired to continue fighting. So they took their one hostile island and made the best of it they could."

All Blake could muster in response was a bitter smile. "Perhaps all Faunus end up running away in the end," she mumbled to herself.

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Weiss, "They did not run away. Going to settle an island full of Grimm is not running away."

"I thought my father ran away when he left the White Fang for Menagerie," said Blake, "I told him so and worse. I don't even know if he'll take me back."

Another uncomfortable silence. Blake wished she could slap herself. Fathers were an even worse subject than the Faunus when talking with Weiss.

"Of course he will," said Weiss finally, "You're coming back to him safe and sound."

"That's one way of looking at things," replied Blake, "I hope you're right."

Weiss surprised Blake when she put her hand over hers. Blake knew that Weiss didn't particularly cherish physical contact. Maybe Weiss just wanted to comfort her.

"We'll be landing soon," she changed the subject, "The port should be visible at any moment."

Weiss turned her gaze to the coastline. Gaze which, as Blake had only realized just now, was previously exclusively occupied with observing Blake. This made Blake even more conscious of the warm feeling of Weiss' hand, so pleasant even in the sweltering summer air. By now, various small dwellings could be seen dotting the coastline, some with fishing boats moored at the shore. When the ship finally went past the last curve of the land, Menagerie's eponymous de facto capital lay on the seaside in front of them.

"It looks so busy," observed Weiss as the ship's approach slowed to a crawl to let the large unwieldy vessel avoid collisions with the dozens if not hundreds small local boats.

"Menagerie has no airport, so everyone who wants to come have to come by sea," explained Blake, "And with so little land for farming, fishing is an important source of food." She did not add that she was looking forward to sampling some of Menagerie's seafood cuisine. If Weiss couldn't figure that out, she was far less observant than Blake believed her to be.

"I should start packing," said Weiss and turned around to head to their cabin. "And probably kick Sun out of the bed." Despite the Captain giving him a bedroll to use, the monkey Faunus still preferred a proper bed whenever possible.

"There's still time," protested Blake. It was true. They did not take much with them when they left Vale and the ship would still take at least an hour to dock.

"I'm sure the Captain will need to send a lifeboat with some men to the harbor to negotiate for pier space," said Weiss, "We could go with them."

"We do have communications in Menagerie," said Blake. Even if long-distance communications were out of order, the ship was now close enough to use local lines to talk with port authorities.

Weiss turned back to observe the harbor they were approaching. "I guess I could relax a bit more. I just want to get off the ship fast," she admitted.

That was almost exactly the opposite of what Blake wanted. She didn't really want to admit it, but she was starting to be afraid of and not just worried about meeting her father again. At the very least, she was fully aware of all the ways in which she was a coward. Physical danger? No problem. Her father being angry, or worse, disappointed? She didn't want to go through a confrontation like that ever again. Her next thought caused a chill to run up her spine. What if he forgave her for everything? All the things she said when she stayed with the White Fang were something she now thought was unforgivable.

"You're lost in thought again," said Weiss' voice.

"Sorry," replied Blake, "I just need to get this over with so I can concentrate on what comes next. Whatever it is."

Weiss let out an exaggerated exasperated sigh. "This again?" she said, "Well… I promise that if your father gets angry with you, I'll do something so Schnee-like it'll draw his attention."

Blake was sure Weiss meant it as a joke, but at the same time she knew that the white-haired girl wasn't above using her name to her advantage when needed.

"Please don't," she said, "You don't know my father."

In place of a reply, Weiss let go of Blake's hand and started heading inside the ship. "We're almost there," she said, "It's time to get ready."

Thanks to Weiss' impatience, the three of them were the first passengers to disembark from the ship. The harbor was bustling with activity as their ship wasn't the only one carrying refugees from Vale. Blake was feeling overwhelmed after the relative peace and quiet of the ship. It didn't matter that the crowd was predominantly Faunus with only a few rare humans mixed in. Blake disliked all crowds.

Menagerie had changed a lot since she was last there. It had grown more crowded for one thing. The lack of inhabitable land meant that the Faunus newly arriving from the Four Kingdoms were forced to be more creative in building their homes. Many have elected to build them above the water. The ocean and the air were warm enough that even houses constructed from bamboo and other lightweight wood were inhabitable the year round. Others built their houses on support pillars above the streets. Many of Menagerie's passageways and alleyways were now permanently shaded by these houses. The only unifying theme of local architecture was the use of wood as main building material. Residents of Menagerie had arrived to settle here from all over Remnant and there were only two things they had in common: They were Faunus and they were fed up with how they had to live in the Kingdoms.

As they headed deeper into the city, Sun was looking around with unbridled curiosity, occasionally asking questions that Blake didn't always know how to answer. Weiss was completely quiet. She had to be just as aware as Blake of all the looks and more usually glares she attracted. White hair was not an exclusively Schnee trait, but it was rare and Schnees were the first association most Faunus would think of.

Blake found Weiss' hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry," she said quietly to her, "This is the worst it'll get." Weiss only smiled weakly in response.

The large mansion of Menagerie's chieftain slowly grew in size as they approached. By the time they were almost there, Sun turned to Blake. "Do we have to go to the chieftain's home to introduce ourselves or something?" he asked, "It'll be bad if he hates Weiss on sight."

Blake shook her head. "The chieftain of Menagerie is my father," she explained simply.

"Oh," said Sun, "Wow." Menagerie's chieftain was largely a ceremonial position with little power, but Sun didn't know that going by how impressed he seemed.

They were almost at the door when Sun whispered to Blake. "So if your dad doesn't like Weiss can he… banish her?"

Weiss didn't seem to notice the question, so Blake replied in similarly quiet tone. "Not really. The chieftain is pretty much just a representative for when one is needed. The city seems to run itself." Blake had a very hazy idea of Menagerie's governance if there even was one.

Sun seemed relieved by the answer, but Blake herself wasn't so sure. It was true, her father wouldn't be able to banish Weiss, but it would still be a problem if she wasn't welcome. Weiss had joined Blake on this trip out of her own free will, but Blake felt responsible for her all the same and not just because Weiss was a friend. She had no idea how she'd be able to take care of Weiss in this place, but she knew that she had to.

She still wasn't sure at the time she was taking hold of the knocker on the door to her family's house. Not home. The sound of the metal striking wood was much louder than she had expected and she instinctively looked for a place to hide. Sun was relaxed and undisturbed by the sound. Even though he was in Menagerie only for an hour, he already looked like he belonged here. Weiss' face was impassive, but her eyes were hard and Blake could see her tension. Weiss was ready to fight.

The door finally opened and the woman who opened it and Blake stared at each other in mutual non-recognition for a second. The moment passed and the woman spoke, "Blake, is that you?"

Blake nodded. "It's me, mom," she replied.

Before Blake could add anything else, her mother Kali wrapped her in a crushing hug. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy to see you," said Kali, but the she let go of Blake and rushed back inside without sparing a single look for Blake's companions. "Ghira, Ghira! Come down here!" she yelled, "Blake's come home."

Blake only had a short moment to check if Weiss and Sun were still there before she was crushed once again, this time by her father. Her worries about not being let back into the family were probably unfounded then. "Hi, dad," she mumbled into her father's chest, but she had no idea if her words were audible or not.

"No need to stand outside, Blake," said Kali when her daughter was finally freed again, "And your friends too."

It seemed that Kali had finally noticed that Weiss was one of Blake's friends. Ghira had noticed too and Blake swore she could hear a quiet growl. Neither Weiss nor Sun made any move to enter the house, even though Blake's parents probably wouldn't have too many objections to Sun.

"Um, mom, dad," said Blake, "This is Sun and this is my teammate Weiss." She had no illusions about the former leader of the White Fang not recognizing the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, but maybe introducing Weiss as her teammate would make her father more tolerant of her.

"I know who she is," said Ghira Belladonna in voice that revealed how much effort he was exerting to keep his voice calm. Weiss only bowed slightly and said nothing. The tension wasn't defused, but Blake felt like she could hope for everything to go well.

She hoped that her mother would be more receptive to having a Schnee for a houseguest. "Can we go in, mom?" she asked, "We were on a ship for far too long."

Kali was about to say something, but Ghira spoke first. "I won't have a Schnee under my roof," he half-growled. Weiss said nothing. She just stood her ground as Ghira towered over her.

"Dad, Weiss is my teammate," said Blake, "I would trust her with my life."

"You said the same about the Taurus boy," snapped Ghira, "You trusted him over your own parents."

This wasn't fair. Didn't he know that Blake was here because she realized that she was wrong at that time? "Dad…" she started, but then she felt someone squeeze her shoulder. It was Weiss.

"It's ok," she said before turning to Ghira. "I see that I'm not welcome here, so I'll see lodgings elsewhere. I am sorry to have intruded upon your family reunion." Despite Ghira standing almost twice as tall as here, Weiss maintained a pose of injured dignity. Her posture and the coldness of her voice made it apparent that _she _was the injured party here and that she was not escalating matters only out of sheer magnanimity.

Ghira decided to ignore the challenge in Weiss' attitude. "Just go and don't come back. See if there's anyone more hospitable on this island." He sounded like he knew he was throwing Weiss to the wolves, figuratively and likely even literally.

Weiss nodded and started turning around to leave, so Blake played her last desperate card. "I'm going with her," she said.

For a moment, it looked like Ghira was on the verge of relenting, but Weiss turned back. "No, Blake," she said softly, "Stay with you family. You came here for them, right?" Her voice was the polar opposite of how she spoke to Ghira. It overflowed with warmth and concern. Blake guessed that Weiss was probably playing it up to shame her father, but seeing Weiss' smile made her heart ache just a bit.

"Don't worry, Blake," interjected Sun, "I'll go with her and make sure she deosn't get into trouble." He grinned.

"Okay," agreed Blake after a pause, "Give my scroll a call once you've found some place to stay."

"I'll call you as soon as possible," said Weiss and gave Ghira the stiffest, most formal bow possible before heading off with Sun.

"I guess that's it then," mumbled Blake to herself. She forced herself to look at her parents who both seemed relieved at how well the situation turned out. Resentment welled up inside her at the sight of Ghira, but she ignored it. She was here to make amends, not to start new quarrels.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home."


	4. IV - The Woes of Weiss Schnee

The retreat from the Belladonna family home was humiliating and Weiss didn't even dare to look back to see if Blake was watching her. She wanted to scream in anger and frustration, but she knew that it would accomplish less than nothing. There was no sympathy for a Schnee to be found in Menagerie. Weiss knew it. She knew it even before she started the trip, but she chose to come anyway. Not just to get away from her father; it was also to help Blake. Now she was prevented from doing that and by someone who should have had Blake's wellbeing on his mind.

Sun was tagging along, but Weiss didn't know if he would be of any help. He was just as foreign to Menagerie as she was and if he tried to stick together with her, the locals would quickly come to hate him. Weiss had to figure out a plan of action, but she needed a quiet place to do that. She couldn't really think when she had to pay attention to where she was going and how to get back to the harbor.

"I don't suppose you know of any place around here that we can sit down and get some food?" she asked Sun even though she knew the answer.

"There was some place that looked like a café a few minutes back," replied Sun, "If they don't throw us out, maybe we could get something to eat there."

Weiss was glad for that 'us.' Sun had no obligation to stick with her. Blake would understand it if he left Weiss to her own devices. Weiss was a Huntress (in training), she was supposed to be able to take care of herself.

They turned around and retraced their steps to an establishment that wasn't completely full in spite of the late afternoon hour. Weiss felt the looks on her as she and Sun took a table and picked their orders. It was an opportunity for Weiss to review her money situation and it wasn't good. She never needed to use cash much, since she had an almost unlimited access to Schnee bank accounts and what little cash she carried was seriously depleted by her sea voyage. She could barely afford the meal.

"I'll be broke after I pay for this," she announced to Sun who did not seem worried in the slightest.

"I guess we're camping in the open then," he said. That was the only option, unless the Faunus of Menagerie were more open to the idea of sheltering a Schnee than their chieftain. With how crowded Menagerie was, the only place to camp they had seen was a grove of trees near the chieftain's manor and Weiss did not like the idea of camping so close to the house she was so decisively barred from.

"I didn't expect you to back down so easily with Blake's dad," said Sun once their orders arrived, "I thought you'd start screaming at him."

Weiss didn't reply at first and stared at her drink. It was supposed to be made out of some local fruits that she had never even heard about before today. "They're Blake's family," she said at last, "I didn't want them angry with her because of me."

"What does that have to do with anything?" protested Sun, "No parents would just kick their daughter's friend into the street."

"It's difficult to explain," said Weiss and paused. "He's not completely wrong about not trusting me," she admitted eventually, "He has to think about his own position."

"I don't like it," mumbled Sun into his drink, but did not offer any further protest.

The light meal they got at the café was filling enough, but Weiss did not enjoy it. She felt as if everyone was watching her, even though she knew that it wasn't true. Most of the other guests were too occupied with their own concerns to pay attention to a human girl, even if she had white hair.

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight," she said, "Assuming I'll have somewhere to sleep."

"There was a grove of trees near the chieftain's house," offered Sun, "Camping outside's no problem for Hunters."

"I don't like staying so close to that house," objected Weiss. It would feel like she was stalking Blake if she did that.

"Let's go look for some other place to camp then," said Sun and finished his fruit drink. He got up from the table and started heading out of the door.

Weiss followed him a moment later. She and Sun never really spoke that much before, but she was glad for the company right now. Menagerie was bewildering. It was even busier than the chaos of Vale and Atlas' well-organized city layout couldn't compare with the labyrinthine network of twisting alleys. Worst of all, there were crowds of people everywhere. Faunus of dozens of different kinds were going about their business and the ease with which they navigated the maze made Weiss' feeling of not belonging even stronger. Sun was a Faunus, but he stood out from the crowd by being just as confused by the city as Weiss.

"Sun," she spoke to him once they were back out on the streets, "You don't have to worry about me. Go check up on Blake."

He shook his head. "I promised Blake I'll make sure you're okay," he said, "And you're more likely to get in trouble than her right now."

That was all true, but Weiss still didn't like the idea of needing a bodyguard or chaperone or babysitter or whatever the appropriate term was at any given moment. She had torn all ties with her family, so she had to be able to stand on her own. Unlike Blake, Weiss knew that she would never be welcome back home again.

"Let's find a place to set up camp, then," she said and started heading back towards the chieftain's house. There probably wasn't any other spot of public greenery in all of the city and Menagerie was supposed to be one of the most dangerous spots in the world for camping outside.

Weiss' memory didn't betray her and they arrived back near the chieftain's house when the sun was starting to set. The temperature wasn't dropping much, so Weiss did not have too many worries about camping outside. The sounds of birds and insects were all around them, but the city was close enough that the cries and movement of thousands could be heard at the same time. It didn't look like it would be a quiet evening, but the day's events made Weiss tired enough to stop caring.

Soon after they set up their small camp, or rather, after they found a spot with tall grass and no anthills, Weiss huddled against a tree trunk and tried to sleep. She found it impossible. It wasn't the physical discomfort that was causing her trouble. No, she missed Blake. Blake was the last link she had to her life in the small dorm room at Beacon. The thread of it survived the battle and it lasted during the boat trip where they would always wish each other good night from their opposite bunks. Now it was broken and Weiss suddenly felt lost.

Next morning, she would go to Blake's parents and beg them to let her stay with Blake. Blake, who was the last important person from the happiest time of her life still around. The sound of Sun's snoring interrupted her thoughts and she felt a pang of guilt at so easily dismissing the friend who had joined her in this hardship even when he didn't have to. No, she would not beg. She was a Schnee and she would not let this city and this continent defeat her. The Schnee name couldn't be made to bear yet another shameful event like that.

It had to be significantly later when she finally willed herself to sleep. Most of it was deep and restful sleep with no dream, but she had a vague feeling that she was dreaming at some point. There was Blake and warmth and softness and it was wonderful. So wonderful that she couldn't remember anything except for the wonderfulness when she woke up.

The change in scenery was so stark from the last morning that Weiss needed a moment to recall what had happened yesterday. Sun was nowhere to be seen. The only mark of his presence was a torn page from a Beacon-issue notebook with a few words scrawled on it. _Went to get breakfast. Don't wait for me if I'm not back for lunch._

Weiss checked the time: only an hour left before noon. She had to be exhausted to sleep for that long, but now she was feeling fresh and she didn't like the idea of having to wait for Sun. Just in case he was coming back soon, she sent a message to his Scroll that she was going for a walk. The city of Menagerie was already bustling with life again with everybody rushing to take care of their business before the afternoon heat.

Now that she had no Faunus company, Weiss noticed a lot more hostile looks aimed her way. Some of the citizens of Menagerie even stopped what they were doing to mumble something she couldn't hear over the din of city life. Weiss tried to not let it get to her, but it proved difficult. Without Sun or Blake to keep her company, it fully sank in that she was all alone in a city where most of the people hated her.

She had been wandering aimlessly through the streets for quite some time. It was past noon now, but there was no message from Sun or anything. Maybe his Scroll broke down and that's why he wrote his message down on paper.

"Excuse me, Miss," a voice suddenly called out to her. When she looked to see who it belonged to, Weiss saw a tall, tanned and, most importantly, human girl.

"Are you new here, I don't recognize you and I know all the humans in Menagerie," asked the girl.

Weiss nodded. "I arrived just yesterday," she said. If this girl knew them all, there couldn't be that many humans staying in the city. Or maybe the girl was just exaggerating.

"I'm Ilia," said the girl, "Nice to meet you."

"Weiss." She couldn't help but smile a little. Bumping into another human had to be quite a stroke of luck.

"You say you only arrived yesterday?" asked Ilia and stepped a bit closer to Weiss who could now see that she had a freckled face under her tan. "I know how overwhelming Menagerie can be at first, so do you want to get some lunch? My treat."

Both being invited out for lunch and having someone else pay for her were a rather novel experience for Weiss. Technically speaking, her father was paying for the vast majority of her expenses, but that was family money, so it was different. Weiss was inclined to agree, but there was one more thing she had to make sure of. "Are you trying to pick me up?" she asked.

Ilia smiled and Weiss noticed that she was actually a little cute. "Maybe I am. It depends on whether you want me to."

This was a new experience. A number of boys had asked Weiss out in the past, but never any girls. She was almost starting to get worried that she wasn't attractive to women and how it might impact her hypothetical chances with Blake.

"I wouldn't mind," she replied. She hadn't even asked Blake out. Hypothetical chances or not, she could try giving Ilia a chance. She liked the girl already, even if only because of how overjoyed she was to see another human in Menagerie.

Ilia immediately took hold of Weiss' hand. Her skin felt warm to touch even in Menagerie's hot air. It felt a bit silly to walk around the city with their fingers intertwined, but they were on a date, even if they had just met each other. After the welcome she had got at Blake's home and the constant unspoken hostility she felt from almost everyone around her in the crowded city, Weiss was in a state where she felt herself capable of jumping at any opportunity for friendly contact with someone. Ilia's appearance was like a blessing. The last time she saw Blake was less than a day ago, but Weiss already missed her terribly.

Weiss smiled at Ilia, but she couldn't help feeling just a little suspicious. Maybe her distress over her loneliness was easily visible and that's why Ilia had approached her. Maybe all the interest Ilia ever had in her was wanting to pick up a heart-broken girl for some fun. But even if that was true, what did it matter? Weiss wanted friendly company and if Ilia was wanting to give it, she would not complain. All her time at Beacon, she felt self-conscious about her family, but now in Menagerie where the vast majority of its inhabitants had already hated her she felt free enough to just accept a date invitation from an unknown girl. She knew why. Now that she no longer feared father's displeasure she was finally free. Now if only she could make sure that she had food and shelter.

The place Ilia had taken her was a small cozy restaurant in a charming side alley. It did not look like the alley was getting much sunlight except for noon when the sun was almost directly overhead, but every gap between houses and every windowsill was filled with flowerpots that made this part of Menagerie seem much more pleasant than anywhere else in the city. Once again Weiss felt the gazes of everyone in the restaurant rest on her, but the company of a local made them seem much less hostile.

The staff at the restaurant seemed to know Ilia and immediately conveyed them to a private booth where Weiss was hidden from any strange looks. "So what would you like to eat?" asked Ilia when they were settled, "My treat, remember."

Weiss' last substantial meal was on the previous day and all items on the menu made her mouth water. Most of the dishes were fish or other seafood. Blake would love this place. Immediately after thinking that, Weiss felt guilty. She should at least give Ilia a chance without immediately pining for her crush. To make up for it, she smiled at Ilia. "I'll just have the tuna sandwiches," she said, "I wouldn't want to impose too much."

Ilia laughed and put her hand over Weiss'. "Don't worry about that. I invited you," she said.

"The tuna sandwiches are enough," said Weiss, "It's still early so I'm not that hungry."

"All right then," said Ilia, "But in that case you'll have to keep me company until dinner, so I can feed you properly then. Deal?"

"Did I really look that hungry?" asked Weiss. The air in the restaurant was slightly cooler than under the sun outside, but it was still much hotter that what she was used to and Ilia's hand now felt soothingly cool. Weiss felt herself relaxing. After all the trouble she had when trying to invite Neptune to a dance and her inability to say anything to Blake, it was reassuring to be asked out by someone other than Jaune.

"So what brings you to Menagerie?" asked Ilia to fill the pause between ordering and the waiter coming back.

Weiss hesitated for a second. Ilia was nice, but Weiss had no idea how far she could trust her. She did not think Ilia was up to something bad, but it was far too early to reveal intimate information. "I've come with a friend… who's visiting her family right now," she said at last.

Ilia shuffled her legs under the table and Weiss felt Ilia's bare toes brush against her ankle and a chill ran over Weiss' spine. She did not know if the slight touch was intentional or not. Ilia was observing her with a slight smile. "So you're staying with that friend," she asked.

"Her family doesn't like humans much," said Weiss.

Ilia just nodded and dropped the subject. Weiss silently thanked her for being tactful. Dislike from the Faunus had to be a common enough experience for the few humans living in Menagerie. "Why do you live here?" asked Weiss to keep the conversation going.

"Nothing special," said Ilia, "I have relatives here, so I moved here to work with them. It's social work." That made sense, though why did Ilia's relatives end up here? Maybe it was a mixed marriage. Ilia was pleasant enough, so there might be a chance to learn more eventually.

The waiter returned with a bottle of wine and filled a glass for both of them. "I hope you're old enough to drink," said Ilia with a smile as she picked up her glass.

"You picked me up even though you didn't know?" asked Weiss. She was old enough to drink in Atlas, but Menagerie was probably different. It wouldn't surprise her if Menagerie's laws were different from Atlas just to be different. "Depends on how old you have to be in Menagerie, I think," she added.

Ilia laughed a little. "Permission from a parent or guardian is enough," she said.

Weiss pretended to be shocked. "I'll never be able to drink then," she said as she picked up her glass.

"Troubles at home?" asked Ilia as their glasses clinked together.

"Something like that," replied Weiss and took a sip. She only had limited experience with wine, mostly from failed attempts to bond with her mother, but it was good, if a tad too sweet.

Weiss was careful to only drink a little. Ilia was still mostly a stranger, though Weiss wouldn't say 'no' to a second date if asked. She had attended enough parties at her father's insistence that she was proficient in small talk and Ilia had proven to be pleasant company. Weiss couldn't contribute much, but she was eager to learn.

It was almost disappointing when the waiter brought their meals. Almost disappointing because Weiss was already feeling very hungry. The conversation ceased as they both ate their meals. Tuna sandwiches weren't what Weiss usually ate, but right now she could be like Blake and eat at least a dozen. She idly wondered what Blake was doing right now. Probably just enjoying being back home. Then again, was Blake born in Menagerie? Blake was always guarded about her past and even when she no longer kept her former affiliation with the White Fang a secret, they never really talked about it.

There she was thinking about Blake again when she was on a date with a pretty girl who actually seemed interested in her. She hoped Ilia did not notice her distraction, but the other girl was only just finishing her meal. Ilia noticed she was being observed and smiled. "Do you want more wine before we go?" she offered.

"I-I wouldn't want to impose," said Weiss again. It was profoundly embarrassing to depend on someone else for money. Was this how everyone on team RWBY felt when she kept offering to pay for everything with her enormous allowance? She never really gave a thought to that until she became utterly broke like she was now.

"Don't worry about that," said Ilia, "You can pay me back later because we'll see each other again, right?" She smiled and Weiss couldn't help but blush a little. Even if this wasn't a date, she would be happy to hear that. Just this morning she was sleeping outside in a city where everyone hated her and now she was hearing someone say she'd like to see her again.

"Yeah," said Weiss and wiped her eyes to clear them. She had to be tearing up, since Ilia was becoming a bit blurry on the other side of the table. "Sorry, I must have teared up a little," she said. Wiping her eyes didn't help and she was feeling light-headed. It was crazy that something as simple as little wine and some kind words could make her happy like this.

"Oh dear. It looks like we won't need any more wine," said Ilia just as Weiss' vision faded into black and her head hit the table.


	5. V - Silent Night, Lonely Night

The first dinner after Blake's return home was exceedingly tense. She had half-expected her father's reaction, but seeing one of her friends turned away by her family hurt. Dad himself was in a dark mood and his face brightened only when Blake spoke to him, which she wasn't in mood to do. It was all up to her mom to try and keep the table cheerful and it was thanks to her efforts that they went to bed in higher spirits.

As the door to her bedroom slid closed behind her, Blake tried to remember the last time she had a room of her own. It must have been years ago, even before the White Fang. White Fang members slept in tents while on the move and there were never enough tents to let people get by without sharing. After that came Beacon and the chaos of their shared dorm room and then it was the ship's cabin with Weiss and later Sun.

The room felt lonely without the sounds of someone else's breathing and it was far too large for just one person. Blake thought that the silence after she settled down in bed was going to drive her crazy. Where were Yang's occasional snores, Ruby's strange mumbling and Weiss shifting around when she was pursued by some nightmare? Her Scroll was within easy reach. She could just call Weiss, tell her to come, sneak her in. Dad would never have to know.

Blake knew that Weiss wouldn't come. Her pride wouldn't let her take a single step into the Belladonna home until Ghira Belladonna had personally invited her in. She'd say it was to avoid trouble between Blake and her parents, but that was just one of the multiple reasons. She'd have to call her in the morning and make sure that she was okay.

Sleep still wasn't coming. Blake curled up and strained her ears to hear anything that would disturb the suffocating silence of the overly large room. The thin walls were enough to block any noise made by the night insects of Menagerie and everyone in the chieftain's manor was asleep this late at night. Everything except for Blake herself was at peace: Blake kept tossing and turning.

Maybe fresh air would do her some good. For a moment, Blake was afraid of opening her eyes, fearing that tears of loneliness would well up in them. When she did, the room was so dark that even the above average Faunus night vision did not help her much with finding her way around the unfamiliar room, but she eventually found the partition door and slid it open.

The night breeze entered the room and Blake breathed it in with relish. She walked outside and out of the building's shadow. The broken crescent of the waxing moon gave only a little light, but it was more than enough to find her way around. The air was warm and Blake now felt it was almost a waste to sleep on a beautiful night like this. She could see the city of Menagerie and its few remaining lights over the treetops surrounding the chieftain's manor. She turned around a corner of the building to sit down on an open terrace.

Blake stopped when she saw her father sitting at the terrace's edge, watching the city lights slowly wink out one after the other. He did not appear to hear Blake's steps until she was almost behind him. "Is that you, Blake?" he asked without turning around.

"Yeah, dad," said Blake and sat down on a hair next to him. If he wanted to apologize for how he had treated Weiss, she'd give him the opportunity.

He still didn't turn to look at her. "Your mother wanted me to talk to you," he said and sighed, "But I didn't want to wake you up."

Blake didn't say anything and waited for him to continue. He probably tried to postpone the talk as much as possible, but Blake couldn't imagine what the problem was. If her mother wanted him to tell Blake something, it was probably important. Did she have a new little or sister? She didn't notice any little children in the manor, but it was wastefully spacious and a shy kid could hide away easily.

"How old are you, Blake?" Nineteen, right?" he asked and looked at her for the first time.

"Eighteen," replied Blake. She wondered if it was normal for parents to forget the age of their children. Then again, it had been years since they last saw each other.

"Old enough," he said and rose from his chair, "Wait here a minute, will you?"

Blake observed him as he went back inside the manor. She wondered what time it was right now, but she had left her Scroll in her room. Judging by the amount of remaining lights in the city, it had to be some time past midnight unless the locals tended to stay up extremely late. Maybe she did fall asleep for a moment and didn't notice. At least the night was warm enough that Weiss wouldn't have much trouble if she had to sleep outside.

The sound of steps alerted her to her dad's return. He was carrying a bottle and two glasses. After setting them down, he turned to Blake again. "You won't say no to drinking a glass or two with your old dad, would you?" he asked as he once again took his place on a simple wooden chair.

She looked at the bottle and the wine glasses. Blake couldn't remember her father drinking before, but she herself did a lot of things he wouldn't expect of her in the years she had been away. If her father needed a drink to talk about whatever mom had wanted him to say, it wasn't good news.

"I don't mind," she said.

He filled both glasses and then handed one over to Blake. She took it and looked at the liquid inside which appeared to be completely black in the dark night. "It's Menagerie vintage," her father said, "The soil here isn't very good for most crops, but grapes grow well."

Blake nodded. "Are we supposed to toast?" she asked.

He laughed even though he didn't really sound amused. "We might as well," he replied, then when their glasses clinked together, "To family reunions."

"To reunions," Blake replied without much enthusiasm.

She took a sip of the wine. It was… fine. The taste was a bit unfamiliar, but Blake didn't find it unpleasant. When she heard the sound of her dad setting his glass down, she turned to look at him. He sighed. "Blake, you're adult enough now that I can't stop you," he said, "If you want to find your friend, go find her."

"Is this what mom asked you to tell me?" Blake said.

"She wanted me to explain why I don't want her here," he said and took a sip, "But you're a smart girl."

"You hate the Schnees," said Blake. Her wine glass was already forgotten on the small table, "And you're the leader in a city where most people hate them."

"If that was all, I could… tolerate her staying here," Ghira said, "She's your friend and that's enough to know she's not like her father. But I'd be only giving her a chance because of you." He brought the glass to his lips again and emptied it.

Ghira looked at Blake's glass as he refilled his own. "You have to drink more," he said, "I don't want to have to drink the entire bottle myself."

Blake nodded and picked her glass up again. Just what had been going on in Menagerie to make her dad so worried? The CCTS never reached the island, so the ships with refugees from Vale would be the first to bring news of Beacon's fall. "Weiss got herself disinherited by coming here with me," she said.

"The few decent Schnees want nothing to do with the family," said Ghira, "From what little news find its way here, some Schnee cousins are already changing their names." The topic seemed to suit him. Was he trying to talk about anything else but the main point?

The city was completely dark now. Menagerie did not have public lighting: there wasn't enough space in the crowded alleyways and there was little need for it in a city where the majority of inhabitants were Faunus. Even the night insects seemed to have finally gone to rest and the entire island sank into slumber. Blake took a sip from her glass and liked the taste more now. Despite knowing that sooner or later her talk with dad would have to reach its unpleasant main subject, she felt relaxed.

Ghira remained silent for a few moments, then let out a heavy sigh. "I don't want to deal with the Schnees ever again, that's why I came here. Most of the people here are the same."

Blake didn't say anything and waited for him to continue. Some small animals rustled the tree branches below, but the night remained peaceful. She didn't feel sleepy in the slightest in spite of the late hour. She felt like she could wait until morning if it was needed for her dad to find words.

"Your friend might be disinherited, but she's a Schnee," he said at length, "Most people won't care about details..." He gave a heavy sigh and looked into the distance. He frowned. "If you bring her here, I don't want to see her." His words were slow and felt heavy, as if he needed to make considerable effort to allow this concession.

"Thank you, dad," replied Blake. Seeing him like this made her appreciate the effort he was making, "but there's more, isn't it?"

He nodded and emptied his glass again. "There always is, but you don't have to worry about it," he said firmly, "It's chieftain's work and your mother's here to help me. I can deal with it."

"But I want to help," complained Blake. She had come to see her parents. There had to be something she could do.

Her father rose from his chair. "Thanks, Blake," he said, "But don't you have your own friends to worry about?" He turned around to leave, but stopped and gestured towards the wine bottle. "You should finish it before you go to bed. It doesn't taste good if it stays open for too long," he said in place of good night.

Blake just nodded and watched him walk away. She refilled her glass with the remaining contents of the bottle and took a drink. It tasted nice, but it wasn't something she'd go crazy about. She still didn't feel sleepy enough to go back to her room, so she just sat and observed the night city until both nature and city started to wake up. The sky had started to grow brighter when she finally went to sleep.

No one had come to wake her up, so Blake woke up in the afternoon. Mom probably didn't want to disturb her on her first night home in such a long time and dad knew that she had stayed up late. She was still a bit sleepy, but she got up and groggily prepared herself for the coming day. It turned out that a shower was all she needed and she arrived downstairs in good spirits, ready to greet her family.

"Hi, sweetie," said her mom, "I left you some cold lunch, so go ahead and help yourself."

Blake nodded. The food didn't really taste like anything to her. She kept thinking back to the talk she had with Dad last night. It was nice of him to grudgingly allow Weiss into the house, but she had no idea why he had changed his mind and what was it that he had originally wanted to talk about. Should she ask mom about it? Dad was clearly worried, he admitted as much. First of all, she had to get in touch with Weiss. The sooner Weiss was here, the less time for dad to change his mind. Plus, Weiss had to spend a night out on the streets and that was definitely something she wasn't used to. If anything could shake her pride and make her come to the Belladonna household without official invitation a night spent on the streets was it. Menagerie had a warm climate and it had been a clear night, but Blake knew how uncomfortable a night out without shelter could get. The sooner Weiss had proper shelter the better.

She tried calling Weiss on her Scroll, but it did not connect. Weiss could be anywhere in Menagerie and the city was large enough that she could be out of range for local calls. Sun was likewise unavailable. The lack of news made Blake nervous. She wished she could believe that Weiss and Sun got taken in by a kindly elderly couple, but there wasn't much chance of that. Even if Weiss bumped into a kind soul who was also blind, she would tell them that she was a Schnee. Her pride wouldn't let her lie about her family to someone who was helping her.

Her meal finished, Blake went over to wash the empty dishes. She hoped that she would bump into her mom along the way and she was lucky. "Mom, what did you want Dad to talk with me about?" she asked as she started to clean the plates and bowls.

"He told you about that?" replied her mom, "It wasn't much, really. I just told him that you're an adult and that he should explain why we can't let your friend into this house." She smiled. "He still sees you as a little girl, but he agreed in the end."

"He didn't tell me anything even when I offered to help," said Blake. The water was still running, but Blake no longer paid it much attention, "He just said that Weiss can come here if he never has to see her."

"Did he?" said Kali, "I see he's just as stubborn as ever. Like his daughter."

"I would understand it if he just said he doesn't want any Schnees in the house," said Blake, "What other reason could there be?"

Kali walked over and turned off the water. "Don't be wasteful, sweetie," she said, "The chieftain's household has to set an example."

Blake waited for her to return to the subject at hand. Kali sighed and looked out of the kitchen window. "It's just politics," she said, "The local White Fang chapter would have a field day if they found out the former Leader is associating with the Schnees now."

"There's White Fang in Menagerie?!" Blake was shocked. Menagerie was the place for Faunus who were done fighting and just wanted their own lives. She couldn't fathom what the White Fang wanted to accomplish here.

"Of course they are," replied Kali and settled won on plain stool in the kitchen's corner, as if she was getting ready for a lengthy conversation. "They're just a charity around here. They help the new arrivals settle down, find a place to stay, that sort of thing."

"Mom, the White Fang was at the attack on Beacon. They released Grimm there," said Blake, "They're not 'just a charity'?"

"They are over here," replied Kali, "Menagerie never had CCTS, so the local White Fang chapter was always a bit isolated."

Blake shook her head. "I don't believe that," she said and started heading for the door. "I've got to find Weiss right now. She isn't safe in the city."

Without waiting for Kali's reply, Blake ran up to her room and picked up Gambol Shroud. It was all her fault for thinking Weiss won't be in any real danger. She even let herself become so careless that she left her weapon behind.

The moment she was armed, she headed out of the manor. She pulled out her Scroll and gave contacting Weiss and Sun another shot. Weiss didn't pick up, but Sun did almost immediately. "Sun! Do you know where Weiss is?" she almost shouted at the boy, "Is she with you?"

"No, I was just about to call you," said Sun, "I went to sell off some of my Dust supply and she was sleeping when I left. She sent me a message that she's going for a walk a few hours back, but nothing since then."

"Sun, there's White Fang in Menagerie," said Blake, "We've got to find Weiss before them."

"Those psychos are here?" asked Sun, "I'll look around the harbor. It's the only part of town I sort of know."

"Right," said Blake, "I'll start looking around the chieftain's manor. Call me if you find her."

"Be careful, Blake," said Sun and cut the call.

Despair started to take hold of Blake. Menagerie was far too large to search when there were just two of them. If Weiss wasn't picking up, they might have already got her. And it was all her fault. It was her who told Weiss that the worst that would happen to her in Menagerie would be angry looks.

She stopped. Mom said the White Fang in Menagerie was isolated, didn't she? If that was true, then maybe the news of Blake leaving the organization didn't reach them yet. And if the White Fang operated openly in Menagerie, they'd probably have some sort of headquarters. If the White Fang had already found Weiss, that'd be the place to learn about it. If they didn't, Blake would know that Weiss was safe for the time being.

Blake turned around and rushed back home. Dad would know where the Fang's headquarters was located, she was sure of it.


	6. VI - Uncomfortable Awakening

Sharp pain in her arm was what woke Weiss up. "Ouch," she said, "Sorry, Ilia. I must have dozed off from the heat."

When the only response was an unpleasant short laugh, Weiss finally gathered her wits enough to try and assess her surroundings. Her last conscious memory was being in a restaurant's private booth with Ilia, but a single glance was enough to confirm that that was no longer the case. The room she was in had no windows and was only dimly lit with a single weak lightbulb.

When she turned her head to see what had caused the pain in her arms, she saw Ilia putting away an empty syringe. "What did you do to me?" she asked. As more of her senses returned, she realized that her hands were bound behind her back and her legs and ankles were tied together. She was propped against a wall whose chill had seeped through her clothes to make her back cold.

"Aura suppressants," replied Ilia in the same friendly voice she had used when they met, "We can't have you trying to break out of here."

"And just who exactly is 'we'?" asked Weiss while looking around the room to see if Myrtenaster was there. It wasn't. As expected.

"The White Fang, of course," said Ilia with a nasty smile on her face, "Did you really think a Schnee could come to Menagerie and keep it a secret from us?"

"But you're human," protested Weiss. Her head was clearing up, though and she soon had the entire situation figured out. It was simple, really. Many animal species pretended to be something else in order to capture prey. Who could say that there weren't some Faunus like that? "You're surprisingly cute for an anglerfish Faunus," she said at last.

Ilia's skin changed to bright red. Any hope that it might had been an exaggerated blush disappeared when Ilia's hand struck her face. Without Aura to cushion the blow, the pain brought tears to Weiss' eyes. She glared up at Ilia who looked like she was shaking with rage, though Weiss wasn't sure if she could quite trust her own eyes.

"Watch your mouth, Schnee," said Ilia, "It's only convenient to keep you alive, not necessary."

Weiss tried to figure out if it was an idle threat. Her being alive would be only important if the White Fang was trying to blackmail her father. Her father most likely didn't go public with the news of her escape. She needed more information if she wanted to figure out what was Ilia's goal.

"My father won't give you a single lien for me," said Weiss, "He still has one spare family heir." Was she brave for saying something like that or was she just pretending to be brave?

"As if your money could pay for all the Faunus blood you spilled," said Ilia. She leaned down to get a good look at Weiss' face. "This is a White Fang matter. You're not important here except as a bait," she smirked and continued, "How does it feel to be unimportant?"

"If you think Blake's going to try and rescue me, you're wrong," said Weiss. It was a feeble lie and she knew it. Blake almost drove herself to complete collapse from exhaustion and she thought that the entire responsibility for what the White Fang did at Beacon was hers. Blake wasn't likely to leave Weiss behind even if the trap was obvious.

Another rush of red came over Ilia's skin and Weiss readied herself for another blow which never came. "Don't press your luck," said Ilia.

Weiss would like to do nothing else, but she had to figure out her situation. If she was to be a bait for Blake, then she had to get out of this situation as fast as possible before Blake could fall into a trap. "If you're not after me, why did you even bother?" she asked Ilia.

"I want to know what you did to her," Ilia said. Weiss had a feeling that would Ilia would have hissed those words, if they had any sibilants in them.

"What?" asked Weiss. She didn't do anything to Blake. Blake was the same Blake that she had always known; she just had fewer secrets.

"All of a sudden, she runs away, leaves me… leaves Adam and everyone behind. Then the next I know, she comes to Menagerie hanging off of a murderous Schnee. So I'm asking: What did you do to her?" Either Ilia was less angry than her voice suggested or she was controlling herself better. She still looked like she could pass for a human.

"You know Blake?" Weiss asked. If this was a personal matter for Ilia and not just White Fang business… She supposed that she was lucky there wasn't any deadly poison in her wine.

"Know her?" said Ilia and laughed. She didn't sound amused at all. "Know her? I thought I knew everything about her… but she still left."

At that moment, Weiss was irritated, almost angry about all of Blake's secrets. It seemed that everywhere she turned, there was something infinitely important that Blake decided not to talk about. Being an ex-White fang member, being pursued by a crazy ex-boyfriend, her father being Menagerie's chieftain and now a crazy… what? Childhood friend? Ex-girlfriend? Whatever it was, Weiss now had to deal with it and she didn't know anything about the situation.

She knew that if she wanted to get some information, she had to keep Ilia here and talking. "Blake never said anything about you," she said. It was likely to make Ilia angry again, but Weiss thought that she was ready for it.

"She didn't. Of course she didn't. No need to think about when she has new friends. New rich, Schnee friends." Ilia's voice seemed to be so full of rage that Weiss instinctively tried to draw away from her, though it wasn't possible when she was bound.

"You're lonely," said Weiss. It was a simple observation, but Weiss said it out loud. Ilia had her drugged and kidnapped her, but Weiss couldn't quite forget how she felt when a supposedly human girl approached her when she was all alone in Menageries crowd. It was all a lie, of course, but Ilia made Weiss happy for a short moment. Loneliness was something Weiss had always been very familiar with and Ilia alleviated it even if it was just a means to an end for her.

Weiss' charitable thoughts were interrupted when Ilia struck her again. "Don't you dare pity me," said Ilia.

Somehow, the blow felt less painful than the last one. Weiss quickly looked at her arm. Her sleeve was still rolled up and she could see the mark on the spot where Ilia had injected her was already fading away. Ilia had missed the vein either because of nervousness or inexperience and the Aura suppressant wasn't able to work properly. Aura suppressants were notoriously finicky to begin with, since they were chemical compounds attempting to manipulate an expression of a being's soul. Improperly administered, Aura would just overwhelm their effects before they had a chance to spread.

This discovery gave Weiss some hope of escaping. She still didn't know where Myrtenaster was, but at least she could use her Semblance now. If she could get away and meet with Blake and Sun, they could return for Myrtenaster later.

She returned her attention to Ilia before the girl could figure out that something was wrong with her prisoner. "What do you want to do with Blake?" she asked. Blake seemed to be a topic that Ilia both wanted to talk about and which was most likely to keep her distracted.

"I just want her to come back home," said Ilia, "back to the White Fang." She seemed to have regained control over her skin color, but her face was far sadder than Weiss expected.

The sadness on Ilia's face quickly made way for anger again. "And then you took her from me! What did you do to her?" she yelled at Weiss.

"I didn't do anything to her," said Weiss, "She just figured out that robbery and murder weren't the right way to equality."

She knew that saying that would make Ilia lash out more. If there was a sure way to make White Fang member angry, it was a Schnee using words like 'equality'. She didn't expect Ilia to lose it so completely. She was ready for the first blow, but the second and third and fourth knocked her from sitting position to the ground. Ilia didn't stop.

"You killed my parents and stole Blake away from me!" she screamed, "You Schnees are the murderers!" She kept kicking Weiss while she was down. Weiss lost count of how many times Ilia's shoe hit her stomach, her face, her arms, her legs, her entire body. Her Aura gave way sometime near the end and she had to feel the full force of Ilia's kicks. She was lucky that Ilia was just venting her anger, not seriously trying to hurt her.

Finally, Ilia stopped and Weiss could catch her breath again. It hurt. A drop of warm liquid fell on Weiss' cheek and she forced herself to look upwards. Ilia was crying. Anger rose up in Weiss at the sight of it. How dare she? Only her sense of self-preservation prevented Weiss from making a sharp remark.

Ilia continued to cry while Weiss tried to figure out if any of her bones had been broken. From what little movement she was capable of, she judged that her bones stayed whole, though her entire body was bruised and sometimes bloodied. When she tried moving her hands, it seemed that her wrists were a little freer. All that jostling she had suffered loosened the rope a little.

Ilia's crying had ceased while Weiss was inspecting her state and the girl now once again glared angrily at Weiss who had to wonder if Ilia was planning to kill her as a witness to her moment of weakness. She believed that Ilia, for all her violent faults that she had come to know far too closely, wasn't a cold-blooded murderer like that. Then again, she had been badly mistaken in the girl before.

They glared at each other and Ilia's gaze seemed to Weiss filled with the purest hatred. Weiss did not avert her eyes. She couldn't let Ilia beat her. Her entire body ached, but she wasn't going to give Ilia the satisfaction. "If this is how you treated Blake, it's no wonder she left," she said.

She was expecting another flurry of blows, but Ilia just stepped back. "I-I never hurt Blake," she stammered, "N-never. Not even with a word."

A spark of understanding had come to Weiss. She herself remembered a time she would act like Ilia just did. When she hated herself for everything hurtful she had said to Blake. That feeling never really went away, even when it was clear that Blake had forgiven her. "You're in love with Blake," said Weiss quietly. She couldn't stop herself at that moment.

Ilia didn't react at all. She just turned away and left Weiss alone in her makeshift cell. There was a chance that Weiss was wrong, but there was a definite pattern of crazy people in love with Blake. The revelation had warranted some deep introspection, but Weiss did not have the time to spare at the moment. Ilia did not know that the rope binding Weiss was looser than it should have been and that the Aura suppressant either didn't work on Weiss or was administered improperly. She had to escape while this advantage lasted.

Most of Hunter training focused on fighting Grimm, not people. Accordingly, Beacon's curriculum was rather deficient on the subject of escaping from being bound. (With the notable exception of a surprise lesson that Yang had arranged for her teammates late at night. The lesson was never repeated after multiple threats of bodily harm to Yang.) The rope binding Weiss' wrists together was only a little loose. She looked around the cell, searching for anything that might help her undo or slip out of the knots.

Her search was as brief as it was fruitless. There was no furniture in the small room and the plaster on the walls was solid and undamaged. There wasn't a single sharp edge in sight. To make matters worse, Weiss heard a soft click of a light switch from beyond the door and the room sank into darkness. If Ilia or anyone else was keeping watch on the outside, they would be easily able to notice the glow of Weiss' glyphs.

She listened for any sounds of activity on the other side of the door while her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness in the room which was now only illuminated by the slivers of light coming through the gap under the door. There didn't seem to be anyone on guard and Weiss kept wriggling her hands to loosen her bonds further. She didn't know how long she was doing that. The progress was so slow that it could have been hours. Nothing gave her any indication of the passage of time except for the bruises caused by Ilia slowly fading under the effect of Weiss' Aura. The artificial light from beyond the door was steady and unchanging and there was complete silence.

Finally, she managed to free her left hand of the rope with only some skin on her wrists getting scraped off. After that it was a trivial effort to remove it from her right hand and to untie her ankles. The only complication was the need to keep quiet during the process.

Weiss' first few upright steps after such a long time were a little unsteady, but she managed to avoid making any noise that could alert potential guards. She peeked through the gap between the crude wooden door and its frame. She couldn't see much beyond a wall similar to the ones in her cell and a bar that prevented the door from being opened. No one seemed to be standing guard over the prison cell. Weiss tried fitting her fingers into the gap, but it was too narrow for her to reach the bar.

She tried giving the door a push. As expected, it only moved a little before hitting the bar and stopping. An idea on how to get out came to her, but it was risky. If Ilia was anywhere near, she would be able to know that Weiss had escaped. However, Weiss saw no other immediately available option. She put her fingers into the gap between the door and the frame again and called on a glyph to form in the narrow space between the bar and the door. Then she gave the door another push. When the door hit the glyph, it imparted it with enough force to break the bar off its hinges. The door continued its motion and hit the wall with a loud crash that Weiss was sure could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

Weiss did not waste any time. She ran out of her cell to find herself in a similarly nondescript hallway. Ilia was nowhere in sight and there was still no sign of anyone alerted by the loud noise. There was a door at the opposite end of the short hallway and a close door on either side of her. Weiss tried the side doors first. They revealed nothing but dusty rooms that did not seem to have been used in weeks if not months. The thick dust layer was undisturbed, so Weiss turned her attention to the remaining door. The room behind it was arranged like some sort of secret hideout. Empty bookcases blocked the windows, and overturned table was set up as a barricade in front of the door and a makeshift bed that looked like it had been recently used was in a corner. The only cabinet in the room contained some field rations that could last a long time and some non-descript clothes, nothing else.

Weiss briefly considered a change of clothes, but none of the clothes available would let her hide her hair: her most distinctive feature that also drew the most attention. The most alarming discovery, however, was that Myrtenaster was nowhere in sight. Now that she knew Menagerie could be violently hostile towards her, Weiss felt worse than naked without a weapon. She had her glyphs, sure, but they were not suited to actually taking out opponents, just delaying on inconveniencing them. She could probably get by without a weapon for the time being, but if Ilia had Myrtenaster, she could use it to convince Blake that Weiss was in danger or captivity even if Weiss herself had escaped to safety.

She could hear the noise of the crowd from outside. There was no mirror in the room, but she tried looking herself over. Her clothes were more gray than white now and there were occasional bloodstains on them. She assumed that she looked terrible. Not that it mattered even if she was bleeding profusely, she couldn't expect any help unless he bumped into Blake or Sun by some miracle. She took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped outside.

The noise of the crowd almost overwhelmed her at first, but it seemed that the house wasn't watched and that none of the locals gave her much attention. She registered some of them smiling maliciously at her state, but it seemed that no one was willing to waste their time on her.

Weiss found herself in one of Menagerie's innumerable side alleys; one which had been turned into a sort of a tunnel by people building new homes above and over it. The tunnel was so dark that Weiss' human eyes had trouble seeing more than the people closest to her and the two spots of light that were the tunnel's ends. It would be pointless to try and make her way in opposite direction than most of the crowd when she could barely see anything, so Weiss went with the flow until she emerged in a slightly more open space. A moment of concentration let her summon a glyph that boosted her jump and let her reach the rooftops. The Schnee snowflake remained floating in the air for a few more seconds, but Weiss didn't care if any locals saw it and felt angry and uncomfortable. She was done with this island in general and this city in particular.

It looked like early evening by her reckoning. The sky was dark, but the crowds were just as thick as during the day and the entire city was ablaze with thousands of lights. She couldn't discern any familiar landmarks among the lights, either the harbor or the chieftain's manor. The wind was no help. Whatever sea breeze there might had been was long since overwhelmed by the smell of thousands of people sweaty after the day's labors. Weiss was reminded that the last shower she herself had was on the ship and that a lot of time has passed and a lot had happened since then. She longed for a relaxing bath.

She tried making her way higher, up the rickety constructions that housed Menagerie's latest arrivals who were not willing or able to go and attempt wresting some more land from the Grimm. The canvas and bamboo structures were enough to hold Weiss and the added altitude gave her a better position to try and find her way. A dark spot in the distance seemed likely to be the grove near the chieftain's manor, so Weiss started to head towards it.

Unfortunately, she had realized too late that her position and the many lights from below made her stand out to any observers. She heard someone land of one of the wooden rooftops below and turned around, but it was already too late. She felt cold metal wrap around her arm and then excruciating pain as Ilia's weapon delivered a powerful electric shock. Once the charge was gone, Weiss frantically shook off the weapon and started to run. Without a weapon, outrunning Ilia was her only choice.

The crowds still filling the streets offered no safety. No one would wonder why a Schnee was being attacked and no one would lift a finger to help her. The most she could expect down in the streets would be getting tripped. Her glyphs would have to be enough.

Her goal was still the spot she had thought was the grove of trees. It was a long way. Menagerie was only supposed to be inhabitable on a thin stretch of coastline, but the city had already filled most of it. She had to somehow lose Ilia along the way. The girl would probably burn the whole grove down if Weiss reached it.

She heard Ilia's full speed pursuit behind her, but there were no more attacks. Either Ilia couldn't tell that Weiss wouldn't be able to take much more without her Aura breaking, or she was waiting until she had chased her into a more favorable position. Weiss used her glyphs to cross over the many alleys crisscrossing the city. She paid no attention to the locals' displeasure with the sudden proliferation of the Schnee snowflake emblem in the Faunus city.

There was no chance she'd lose Ilia in the city. The sky was overcast and the clouds reflected the city lights, so that the night was even brighter than full moon. It wasn't too long after the chase had started that Weiss started to feel short of breath. She never had that much endurance and this chase was taking all of it. She didn't dare to look how far behind her Ilia was. Her only hope was that it was far enough to lose her among the trees which were looming closer and closer.

Weiss jumped into the crown of the first tree, but didn't stop there. The illumination gives off by her glyphs would broadcast her position and let Ilia know exactly where Weiss was at the moment. She didn't know how far she had ran and jumped to get to the trees, but she forced her aching and protesting body to move even more, this time without the glyphs' aid.

She jumped into a shadow of a huge southern tree and stopped. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but she didn't let her body to lap for air and breathed as quietly as possible. No more than five seconds later, Ilia shot past Weiss' tree, her skin almost glowing bright red. Weiss stayed in her hiding spot.

It was a struggle just to stand upright, but the sound of Ilia's pursuit had ceased. Ilia must have realized that Weiss was hiding somewhere among the trees. With her hiding spot being just a patch of deep shadow, Weiss knew that it was only a matter of time before she was found.

She was close to collapsing from exhaustion and she had no weapn. Even if Ilia was also tired and Weiss had managed to surprise her, there was no way Weiss would win that fight. Weiss had to think of anything that might save her from being recaptured or even killed.

Only one option presented itself, but Weiss wasn't sure if it was worth it: the indignity of being held prisoner seemed much more appealing. But, Weiss remembered, this wasn't just about her. She was supposed to be Blake bait. She was supposed to be a hostage to force Blake into a confrontation. She was Weiss Schnee and she wasn't going to let herself be used like that. If anything, Schnees were supposed to use people, not the other way around.

If Ilia was searching for her, she was going around it very quietly. Weiss' arms and legs felt like lead, but she crouched on the ground. She couldn't outrun anyone in her state, so she needed a distraction. The concentration needed to Summon even an ordinary Creep was so difficult it made her head hurt like it was about to split open, but she made it. It was giving off enough light that Ilia wouldn't be able to miss it.

The Creep ran away deeper into the grove in almost exactly the opposite direction Weiss wanted to go. The short rest she had was enough to make her muscles stiff and she felt like she was moving impossibly slowly. Noise from behind let her know that Ilia had noticed the distraction. She did not have much time. Weiss inched her way to the edge of the grove.

Her memory did not fail her. She found herself withing reach of the Menagerie chieftain's manor: the only place on the island the White Fang wouldn't dare attack if they were sane. She hit the door several times with the knocker and then her strength gave up. She collapsed to her knees.

It was early enough that Blake's family probably wasn't asleep yet. Ilia had to have heard the loud knocks. Who would get to Weiss first? After what seemed like hours, the manor's front door opened and Blake's mother peered outside. It took her a second before she looked down and saw kneeling Weiss.

"Please, let me in," begged Weiss. No one else knew, but she wasn't on her knees voluntarily. She'd be able to look herself in the face, if not anyone else.

Blake's mother took another look at her, nodded and held the door open. Weiss was so tired she had to crawl inside. When she turned around to watch the door close, she could swear that she saw a shadow that looked like Ilia in the distance.


	7. VII - In the Fox Lair

Dark was already falling by the time Blake reached White Fang's official Menagerie headquarters. She peeked at the spacious, but unostentatious building from behind a street corner then turned to her company. "Do you care to explain why you decided to come with me?" she asked.

Sun shrugged. "You and Weiss are both friends," he replied, "I don't know why your dad came, though."

Ghira Belladonna's presence was why Blake couldn't just approach the door. As a huge man who was well known to all of Menagerie's citizens he attracted a lot of attention to the group. "If the White Fang's kidnapping people, even Schnees, I need to know about it," he said after a moment.

"Right," said Blake. She wasn't proud of it, but she didn't believe him. The only question was if the real reason was protecting Blake from the White Fang or preventing Blake from going somewhere alone with a boy (meaning Sun).

Her original plan was to approach the White Fang as one of their own. That was impossible with Menagerie's chieftain behind her. However, Blake saw no reason to alter her plan. She just had to make sure Dad and Sun wouldn't get involved before it was necessary.

"I have to go in alone," she said more to Dad than to Sun.

"That's far too dangerous," said her father, "If the White Fang is anything like you say, they won't hesitate to attack you." So, the real reason he came was to protect Blake. Or at least the primary reason. She wanted to be annoyed, but she was glad that he still wanted to protect her after all she had said to him in the past.

"If they do," said Blake, "I'll be loud enough for you to hear." As usual, she had Gambol Shroud concealed, but within easy reach. She wasn't going to let the local White Fang surprise her.

"I should go with you," said Sun, "I can distract them and give you time to look around." He grinned and looked at Ghira. Sun knew which direction the strongest objections would come from.

Blake nodded at the suggestion, but her father frowned. "Dad, I know better than to make eyes at boys at a time like this." She remembered saying something similar about Adam long time ago. It was true at that time, but it didn't stay true.

Ghira frowned again. He clearly remembered too, but he just sighed. "If you do anything to her, I'll tear you in half," he said to Sun and turned around to look for a place where he could wait to see if his help was needed.

Blake and Sun walked towards the entrance to the White Fang headquarters. Side by side, like White Fang members should when not on a mission. There was no doorbell or knocker, but the door was unlocked. The White Fang in Menagerie always kept their door open for their fellow Faunus; always ready to offer a hand extended in help. Blake entered without knocking.

A lone Faunus man was busy reading some documents in the room they entered. He raised his head to look at the new visitors. He stood up and smiled. "What a surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Sister Blake?" he said, sounding as if he was genuinely pleased to see her.

Blake studied the man for a moment. His face was blandly pleasant and didn't reveal anything about his real thoughts or emotions. She couldn't tell whether he truly thought that she was still with the White Fang, or if he was just trying to put her at ease and make her vulnerable. "I'm sorry, I don't think we met before," she said. Did Adam send word of her escape to other White Fang cells or did his vanity keep him quiet?

"I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting you in person," the man said with the same unchanging smile, "But everyone knows Brother Adam's second in command. My name is Fennec Albain. My brother and I care for the White Fang here in Menagerie."

Blake glanced at Sun who seemed to tense up a little at Fennec's words. He knew that Blake used to be a member of the White Fang, but Blake never really told anyone how high up in the organization she really was. If Adam wasn't so despotic in his leadership of the Vale cell, her hands would be stained with a lot of blood. She wouldn't blame Sun if he was having second thoughts about accompanying her in.

"I didn't know that I was so famous," replied Blake. She was aware that she was stalling for time, but she had to figure out what her situation was. She tried looking around the room to see if she could find any sign of Weiss' presence, but the room was almost as bare as a hotel reception or a doctor's waiting room. Apart from Fennec's work desk, there were only several chairs and coffee tables with old magazines on them. Even the magazines published in Menagerie were several months old.

"We get very little excitement here in Menagerie," said Fennec and his smile widened a little. "News from other parts of the world are our favorite amusement."

A moment passed and Fennec continued as if he just remembered, "I'm sure you have much to tell us. I hope you'll have a chance to indulge with news from Vale. The stories the new arrivals tell are frankly hard to believe."

Blake turned her attention back to him. She was absolutely sure that this was a test of some sort. If she expressed disapproval of what Adam did… Or maybe he was referring to the Atlas combat robots going berserk. "There's a lot I can't really talk about," she replied, "I'm sure you understand." She smiled.

Fennec nodded. "Of course," he said, "It's sad we have to work under these conditions, but the Fang has many enemies and detractors." He paused, "Even here in Menagerie," he added with a glance towards Sun.

"I should introduce you," said Blake, "This is brother Sun from Vacuo. He had some business in Vale when the recent troubles happened." For the first time, she was grateful that White Fang became suspicious about sharing information once it turned to direct action. As long as everything was kept vague, she should be able to avoid getting caught in a lie.

Fennec bowed slightly to Sun. "It's always a pleasure to meet a brother of the Fang," he said.

Sun seemed visibly uncomfortable at being called that. "Uh, same here," he replied.

"I'm sure you didn't come here for a purely social visit," said Fennec, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

This was it. She had to come out with a plausible reason for why Adam's second in command would be so far away from Vale just after a huge White Fang attack. "I brought a message to chieftain Belladonna," she said, "Adam thought I was the best possible messenger to him." She paused to see if Fennec gave away any sign of recognition, but his poker face stayed perfect.

"While on the ship, I couldn't help but notice that Weiss Schnee was on board as well. She seems to have some dealings with the chieftain as well." This wasn't exactly a lie.

"Weiss Schnee herself, you say?" replied Fennec, "Of course we know that the former leader parted ways with the White Fang, but we never thought he would go so far." That was a lie. Traitor was one of the kinder words used by the present day White Fang about her father.

Suddenly, Fennec's Scroll emitted a sound notifying him of an incoming message. "If you'll excuse me," he said and checked it. He frowned.

"Trouble?" asked Blake. She didn't expect Fennec to give up any information, but she needed to look as if she wanted to help.

"No, it's just… a family matter," replied Fennec. "But I'm afraid it'll keep me busy for the moment."

With how the Menagerie White Fang called each other 'brother' and 'sister', family matter could mean a lot of things. Or maybe it could be a legitimate family business. Coming back into non-violent contact with the White Fang was making Blake feel paranoid, but with the lengths to which the White Fang was willing to go, some paranoia seemed warranted.

Fennec walked away from his desk. "I'm afraid that I can't be a better host, but I have to close the building for the night."

Blake couldn't let herself be chased out before she had a chance to search the place. Before she had a chance to say anything, though, Sun was already speaking. "Um, it's a bit embarrassing," he said while fidgeting, "But could I borrow your toilet first?"

Fennec blinked. He appeared to be surprise. Sun's request sounded like an obvious ruse to allow him to search the place, but it was also a perfectly reasonable request that anyone coming here could make.

"Of course," he said slowly while looking from Blake to Sun and back. He had to be alone in the building. "Let me show you the way."

The moment Fennec and Sun disappeared behind a door, Blake sprang into action. She didn't know how much time she had, but she could look through Fennec's desk at the very least. Just as she was about to open the first drawer, she realized that a much more valuable prize was left behind. Fennec's Scroll was left lying on the desk. Blake couldn't recall him doing anything with it after he read the message.

It turned out to be locked, but the preview of the new message notification was enough to show the entirety of the short text from an unregistered contact. _Escaped, lost her, returning. I. _A sinking feeling hit Blake at once. Someone else was coming here, that's why Fennec wanted her and Sun gone. She quickly pulled out her own Scroll and dashed off a message to Dad. _Come quickly._ Fennec could easily knock out Sun while they were gone and then do the same to Blake. Whoever the new arrival was, it was someone Fennec didn't want her to see.

She barely had time to get away from Fennec' desk when she heard him returning. Thinking further about the message on his Scroll, Blake realized it was not all bad. The person who escaped from the White Fang was most likely Weiss. If she was no longer kept captive by the White Fang, it would be much easier to find her. She would either go to Blake's home for home, or more likely to the harbor to get away from Menagerie.

I'm sure brother Sun will be back in a minute," Fennec said with his smile returning.

Blake said nothing and the two of them watched each other for the next few moments. She was absolutely sure that her cover was blown if she ever had any. The uncomfortable silence was broken by heavy thumping on the door. It was repeated a moment later. Whoever was outside did not know that the door was not locked. Fennec started towards the door to let the visitor in, but before he could reach it, the door opened and two figures stepped in.

In the back was Blake's father, but it was the person in front who had caught Blake's interest. The last time she saw Ilia was a long time ago and now she was suddenly standing in front of her. It made sense that Ilia would stay with the White Fang, but why here in Menagerie?

Ilia herself seemed surprised by the sight of Blake. Her emotions were always far too easy to read in the past, but that seemed to have changed over time. Blake could notice a slight reddish tint to her skin, but that was all and someone who didn't know Ilia would be hard pressed to think it was something unusual.

Her father walked past Ilia who had stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Blake. He approached Fennec who had for the first time that night seemed like the situation was out of his control. "Sorry about the late visit," Ghira said to Fennec who only muttered general pleasantries in response.

By that time, Ilia had overcome her surprise and approached Blake with a smile that seemed a bit unnatural, a little forced. "Long time no see, Blake," she said.

"I didn't expect to find you here," replied Blake. She did not add that Ilia's presence was an unwelcome complication. It was one thing to fight members of White Fang she had never known personally. It was quite another to be faced with the possibility of having to cross arms with Ilia who used to be a dear friend.

Ilia let out a tired sigh. "I didn't expect you would come to Menagerie either," she said. Blake was sure she didn't imagine the undertone of bitterness in Ilia's voice. They had not parted on the best terms.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" asked Fennec once the company once again lapsed into silence. Everyone knew that they were in presence of their enemies and that any assertions of legitimate business would be lies, but so far nobody wished to break the unspoken agreement to keep peace for now.

"I only came to pick up my daughter," said Ghira, "It is getting late and her mother would like the entire family to eat dinner together. She's still excited about having the family together again."

Although the words were not addressed to her, Ilia glared at Blake's father with fire in her eyes. Blake could only admire the amount of self-control Ilia had learned over time. Dad didn't know that bringing up happy families in front of Ilia was tactless at best. Some wounds never truly heal.

A loud muffled yell came from deeper in the building and everyone tensed up. For a split second, Blake thought it was a White Fang captive trying to get help, but then she recognized the voice as belonging to Sun.

Fennec's face twisted in surprise which Blake was sure was faked. "Oh, I must have forgotten. Excuse me." He rushed out of the room. His absence was much shorter this time and he soon returned with Sun in tow.

"My deepest apologies," said Fennec to Sun, then turned to the others, "I had accidentally locked the young man in out of forgetfulness."

Sun quickly rejoined Blake and her father, but didn't say a thing. He didn't say anything until all the empty words and lies assuring each other of the best intentions were spoken and the three of them were safely back out on the streets.

"The bastard locked me in on purpose," he said, "He knew I'd go look around the place if he didn't."

"They must still have something to hide," replied Blake, "I took a look at his scroll. Ilia sent him a message that someone had escaped." Now that she knew Ilia was here, she almost hoped that the escapee wasn't Weiss and that Weiss was just lost somewhere in the city. Ilia was second only to Adam when it came to hatred for the Schnees.

"That was probably your friend," grumbled her father, "There was a commotion while you were inside and some people came to complain that Schnee emblems were suddenly appearing all around the city." He sighed.

Blake waited to see if he had anything else to say, but he didn't. Whatever his thoughts on Weiss were - and now they were sure to be even less flattering than before - he had decided to keep them to himself and Blake was grateful for it. She didn't want to get into an argument.

They didn't talk much on the way back to the chieftain's house. The entire evening did not provide them with much to cheer them up. Weiss was now presumably safe, but the White Fang in Menagerie was up to something sinister. The only thing that cheered Blake up was seeing her father reluctantly open the door of her home to Sun and letting him in. With Weiss missing, there was no point in forcing Sun to wander the city.

Just as the door closed behind them, Blake's mother came in to greet them. She immediately raised a finger to her lips. "Shh, she just fell asleep, poor thing," she said in a whisper.

"Who did?" asked Blake as she was walking in, her steps reflexively becoming more careful and quiet in response to her mother's warning.

Before her mother had a chance to respond, she saw Weiss sleeping at her family's dinner table.


	8. VIII - Family Matters

Weiss was aware that she was dreaming and the same detached ability to observe that also allowed her to know that it was a good thing. It meant that she wasn't under influence of strong drugs and that her body and brain were finally rested enough to have energy to spare for dreaming.

There was, of course, always the possibility that she had woken up and didn't notice, but the fact that Blake's father was just passing a salt-shaker filled with ice cubes to her made it unlikely. The whole scene was slightly ridiculous, probably because not even her subconscious could imagine what Blake's family was like at the dinner table.

Her consciousness of being an observer was stronger than her consciousness of being a participant in the scene. It was becoming boring. While being bored by her own dream while it was still going on was a novel experience, Weiss wished that she could wake up. She hoped that it wouldn't take long. She couldn't have been that tired from… whatever it was that happened when she was awake.

Weiss woke up just as the dream was finally getting interesting. Typical. The soft sound of a bowl being set down next to her was enough to wake her up. Instinctive physical reactions came to her first and she realized that someone had covered her in a blanket and inserted a soft pillow under her head. She recognized the hand setting down the bowl as belonging to Blake. Dear old Blake. Most of Weiss' brainpower was still stuck processing some stupid dream she already didn't remember, but Weiss was conscious enough to know that she should thank Blake. "Thanks, Blake. I love you," she mumbled. The words were a bit indistinct, but loud enough to be heard by the whole room.

The room fell quiet except for the sound of a spoon dropping to the floor. Blake's hand froze mid-motion, but Weiss barely registered that as she closed her eyes again and tried going back to sleep. After all, the room was so blessedly quiet right now.

Rational thought finally made its long delayed return and Weiss' eyes flew open in an instant. Did she really say that (mostly) out loud? She looked around. Judging by the faces of everyone else in the room, she did. The only person who didn't show surprise was Sun. Blake's mother had a worried expression on her face. Weiss did not dare to look at Blake or at Blake's father too closely. She pondered which of the two was more terrifying.

She chanced a look at Blake. That turned out to be a mistake. Weiss found herself smiling involuntarily at the sight of Blake after such a long time. Blake herself coughed. "You're welcome," she said.

Those words broke the spell that kept everyone quiet and calm. "I knew it!" exclaimed Sun before taking a sip of tea.

Blake's mother walked over to her husband who was the only person in the room who still seemed unpleasantly surprised. "Come on, I think we should leave them alone to sort this out," she said. Even though Weiss didn't know her very well, or at all, she could see that she was forcing herself to say it.

"There is nothing to sort out!" he said as he rose up from the table. He turned to Weiss. "You're not going to steal my daughter, Schnee."

Blake spoke for the first time, but her voice was weak as if she didn't really are about what she was saying. "Dad, it's not like that."

"That's not for you to decide," Weiss shot back at Blake's father before Blake could add anything more. She had had enough. She heard her father use the same tone of voice that Blake's father did when Winter announced that she was going to join the army. She could easily imagine that he would use the same tone if he managed to catch Weiss in Vale. Now Ghira Belladonna was doing the same thing as Jacques Schnee: treating his own daughter like an ignorant child. Weiss had enough. Blake deserved better than that.

"If there's one thing about Blake that I know, it's that she always makes the right decision," said Weiss as she stood up and glared at the huge form of Blake's father as defiantly as someone of her stature could, "She does not need your help!"

"There's nothing to help with," declared Blake's father, "Because Blake now knows better than to run after murderers."

"If I may interrupt," said Sun, "Why don't you let Blake decide? It'll save both of you a lot of yelling." He exchanged a resigned look with Blake's mother.

Sun was absolutely right. This was something Blake should decide. If there was something to decide, but there wasn't. There was no deeper significance to Weiss' accidental words. But… Blake's father just compared her to Blake's ex-boyfriend, Adam. He compared Weiss to the man who had destroyed Weiss' home and mutilated one of her dearest friends. Any chance of backing down and telling Blake that her slip of the tongue meant less than what it had said was gone now.

"Apologize," demanded Weiss. Her voice was trembling, but she kept herself from shouting. She was glad that she couldn't kill people with a look. Blake would not appreciate being made into a half-orphan.

Blake's father remained infuriatingly calm. "I do not need to apologize for what I say under my own roof," he said while looking at Weiss as if she was an insignificant pest.

An attitude like this was calculated to make Weiss even angrier. She was fully aware of it, but she took the bait anyway. Her entire stay in Menagerie turned out of be almost uninterrupted misery. Now she had a chance to _yell _at someone to her heart's content and she was even justified in her own eyes. She was enraged, but her rage had cold calculation in it. She would never admit it if asked, but she wanted to hurt Blake's father. Blake wouldn't appreciate that either.

Weiss glanced to look at Blake. She was staying out of the argument, but it was clear that she was not happy about it. The little sting of guilt she felt upon seeing that was not enough to stop her.

She summoned all the haughtiness she could in support of her rather pathetic proclamation. "Do forgive me. I expected the chieftain of Menagerie to be different from Jacques Schnee," she said.

Unless Blake's father hated Jacques Schnee as much as Weiss suspected he did, the taunt would accomplish nothing. It seemed to have hit home, since he growled in anger. "Get out," he commanded, "the White Fang can kill you for all I care."

"Dad!" protested Blake, but Weiss was already turning towards the doorway she thought was the exit. She felt hungry and all the food on the table made her mouth water, but she had lost all claim to it when she argued with the host. How long was it since she last ate? She remembered the events after Blake's mother admitted her inside the house only vaguely, but she was almost sure she did not eat anything then. She needed a meal and a shower, but it was clear she would find neither here.

She very vaguely remembered the layout of the house from the previous evening and she headed towards the entrance. Her steps were slow and heavy despite the invigorating sleep and she was painfully aware of how she must have looked to everyone else.

"Sit down." Blake's voice stopped her sluggish retreat. "You're both acting like idiots," Blake continued, "And I'm not letting either of you leave this room until you can behave civilly to each other."

For one burning second, Weiss considered just striding out of the house. But Sun and Blake were the only friends she had in the whole of Menagerie. Right now, Weiss was terrified beyond belief at the thought of losing Blake's friendship. Even if it would be uncomfortable to deal with Blake later, Weiss knew that if she did anything other than sitting back down at the table, she would regret it for decades at least.

"You're both staying here in this house," declared Blake when Weiss settled down. "Sort it out, I don't care how."

Blake's father and Weiss kept glaring at each other. Weiss was not willing to make the first attempt at being friendly. She had lost her family except for maybe Winter. Her home at Beacon was destroyed. Myrtenaster was gone. Only her pride and Blake were left. She didn't want to give up either of these. She didn't want to have to choose between the two of them. She was afraid she'd choose her pride.

Blake started eating while her father and Weiss were busy glaring at each other. She was soon joined by Sun and her mother. The various dishes arrayed at the table looked delectable, but Weiss decided that she would not touch a single one of them until Blake's father invited her. She didn't eat anything for less than a day. She could last one more day at least – she hoped – before she'd jump at the first opportunity to get something to eat.

The sounds of eating filled the room and the tension slowly drained out of the atmosphere. The mutual hostility between Weiss and Blake's father was becoming harder and harder to maintain. Weiss' stomach growled, but she did not let it make her soft. She was not going to beg for acceptance ever again.

Her stomach grumbled again and she was sure it was loud enough for others at the table to hear. No one made any sign of having heard it, but with how quiet the room was, Weiss felt like the sound echoed all around the room. Surely, it wouldn't be so wrong to take just a little bite. No, it would be impolite and while Sun and Blake wouldn't care and Weiss didn't really care about what Weiss' parents thought about her manners, but Weiss cared. She wanted to behave in a way that would let her look at herself in the mirror again.

When her stomach growled yet again, Blake's father looked at her. "Just help yourself," he said. Nothing else.

Weiss nodded. She could live with that. No apologies or explanations, just acknowledgement that they'll have to exist in the same space if they don't want Blake to get angry with them. "Thank you," she said.

She wasn't familiar with Menagerie cuisine, but she was hungry enough to not be picky. For the next few minutes, nothing else could be heard in the room other than sound of five people eating… lunch? Weiss wasn't sure what time it was.

When the meal was over, Weiss looked at the company. There was still the matter of her slip of tongue to clear up. Blake didn't show a negative reaction, but that didn't mean much. Blake was very good at hiding her emotions until she was pushed harshly: a necessary skill for a successful terrorist or a businesswoman.

"I have some work to do," said Blake's father as he started heading out of the room. He turned to Weiss. "Try to make your chases with the White Fang less obvious next time. A lot of people are upset about it."

Once again, Weiss had to summon all her willpower to prevent herself from bursting into laughter before Blake's father left the room. She imagined a long procession of worried residents of Menagerie trailing into Blake's father's office to complain about the glyphs she had used when running from Ilia. It served them right. Weiss decided that she didn't really like Menagerie and the sooner she was away from it, the better. Maybe her father would stop looking for her soon, if he ever was looking, and she could go check on Yang and catch up with Ruby.

After Weiss' laughter subsided, Sun rose up from the table. "I should probably leave you alone to sort things out," he said. Why did he treat this as some sort of momentous thing? It was just a few words said while she was half-asleep; there was no need to take them seriously.

Blake's mother was next. "You'll wash the dishes, won't you sweetie?" she told Blake as she left the room and left Blake and Weiss alone for the first time in the last few days.

Blake turned to Weiss. "Do you want to help?" she asked, "We can talk while we're busy with the dishes."

Weiss sighed and nodded. "Might as well get it over with."

**Note: **I noticed that Blake's chapters were a lot shorter than Weiss' chapters, probably because I find it a bit easier to write Weiss. I made this chapter a bit shorter and I'll try to make a long Blake chapter next as a challenge.


	9. IX - Heartbreaks

Blake didn't like how tired she was feeling. It was still far too early in the day to wish to crawl into a bed, curl up and sleep until morning. At least peace was restored to the house and both Dad and Weiss seemed to understand that further conflicts would make Blake very unhappy.

She was sure that if it wasn't for Sun, she wouldn't put much stock into Weiss' sleepy words. In addition, Weiss' reaction and her insistence that it was up to Blake to 'decide' put a different spin on things. Whatever the case, they now had a chance to clear the air between them. If Weiss' wasn't speaking the truth in an unguarded moment, or if she wanted to pretend that she wasn't, Blake was fine with it. If she was… Blake would need time. Now that the idea was put into her head, she could think about Weiss in a different light, but she'd need some peace and quiet to do that.

Peace and quiet was exactly what Weiss seemed to want to provide to Blake, since the two of them washed the dishes in complete silence. They went through enough training together that they could work together on a task like this without saying a word. This probably wasn't what Mom had in mind when she asked them to wash the dishes. Or maybe she just wanted the dishes done. Dad was not happy when one of the maids quit over a Schnee being allowed to enter the house. Her parents were one of the innumerable casualties of SDC mines. It made sense to make Weiss do the dishes when she was the cause of the manor becoming short of staff.

Blake watched Weiss while they were busy. Weiss did not give any sign of being perturbed. The flush of anger had long since disappeared from her cheeks and she was focused on the task at hand. "So, was Sun right?" asked Blake.

It was only because she was watching closely that Blake noticed Weiss' hands stop for a split second. "Does it matter?" asked Weiss.

Blake nodded even though Weiss wasn't looking at her. "Of course it does," she said, "It's important to talk about things like that."

Weiss let out an unamused chuckle. "Suppose that Sun was right and that I accidentally blurted out something I've been keeping secret. What then?"

"I don't know," admitted Blake. "At best, I can promise I won't try running away." She tried smiling a little, but felt that the way her lips curled was too forced to look genuine.

Weiss set a bowl down and turned to look Blake directly in the eyes. "I only snapped at your father because he was acting like my father. I care about you and I don't want you to be treated like that," she said.

Blake was aware that this wasn't exactly an answer to her question, but it was good enough. If Weiss didn't want to talk, Blake was fine with it. Weiss never forced Blake to talk, so the least she could do was return the favor. She decided to change the subject. "What happened to you that got you captured?" she asked.

"You'd better not be holding anything," teased Weiss. "You might be surprised." She seemed more relaxed now that she didn't have to talk about her own feelings.

"Go ahead," said Blake. She didn't set down that plate she was holding. "I can take it."

Weiss was observing Blake as if she was looking forward to her reaction. "I went on a date with Ilia and she must have drugged me somehow," she said, "I'm not sure if it was the food or if she had the drink drugged and she's immune."

Blake did not give Weiss the satisfaction of dropping the plate. It was difficult to imagine Weiss going on a date with Ilia, someone who used to be a dear friend. What surprised Blake was the emotion she felt when she heard about it: jealousy. It was only a momentary flash and she didn't know of whom she was jealous, but it was there. It was ridiculous; she had nothing to be jealous of. Weiss was taken advantage of and betrayed. She certainly wasn't jealous of that. It had to be that Weiss had allowed Ilia to get close. The more Blake thought about it, the more she felt resentment towards Ilia. She had taken advantage of Weiss' weakness and for what? Revenge? When Blake was in the White Fang, there was no one who hated humans more than Ilia. She was merciless towards SDC guards and mercenaries. Adam knew and he encouraged her hatred. It always came back to Adam for Blake, as if no matter how far she ran, his influence would always reach her. Blake sighed.

"Blake?" said Weiss, "Are you listening?"

Blake shook her head. "Sorry, I was thinking about what you said."

"Is it so strange that I'd go on a date?" replied Weiss, "Ilia looked human and I was all alone and I thought…" Her voice faded away.

A haunted, lonely look came over Weiss' face and Blake scrambled to think of a way to comfort her. Weiss came to Menagerie to help her, even if she claimed to have selfish reasons to. Menagerie had been unrelentingly hostile to Weiss, including Blake's father. Blake knew that her father was stressed and harried by various petitioners all morning, so she couldn't blame him too much for being harsh. But… Weiss needed rest and some comforting. Blake thought about hugging Weiss, but two things stopped her. First of all, she knew that Weiss did not like surprise physical contact. Second, even if she did not credit Weiss' sleepy confession with much meaning and Weiss herself did not treat it as anything important, Blake was now aware that there was another possible dimension to their relationship. She did not want a gesture of kindness to be interpreted in an _additional_ way.

Blake looked at Weiss again and the look was still there. She stepped closer and hugged the smaller girl. Doubts or no doubts, Weiss was her friend and it was clear that she needed comforting. In an attempt to make her intention clear, she softly stroked Weiss' hair like she would a child's. Weiss shuddered a little and Blake suspected that she was suppressing an urge to cry. What did Ilia do to her to hurt her so much?

"I could have fallen for Ilia, you know?" mumbled Weiss, "She was pretty and kind and showed at the right moment and… it was all a lie in the end."

Each word felt like a needle piercing Blake's heart. She wanted to say something comforting, but what could she say that wouldn't sound empty and pointless? She settled on: "It's okay to cry."

Weiss tilted her head up and Blake could see that her icy blue eyes were free of any tears. "I won't" said Weiss, "I'll get Myrtenaster back and then beat her."

From what Mom had said, Weiss arrived at the door with nothing but her clothes and on the brink of exhaustion. There was no sign of either her weapon or her Scroll. Blake did not want to tell Weiss that there was a good chance that Myrtenaster had been picked up by a White Fang member. Traditionally, Ilia would have the first pick, but she already had an excellent weapon and the White Fang wouldn't waste a weapon of such quality as Myrtenaster by making a mere trophy out of it.

Weiss extricated herself from Blake's hug. "I'll be okay now," she said, her voice once again sounding like usual, "Thanks, Blake."

Something felt curiously missing at the end of Weiss' expression of gratitude and Blake knew what it was. She still didn't think Weiss meant those words as anything other than an endearment she wouldn't usually allow herself. It might have been just vanity, but Blake wanted to hear Weiss say that she loved her. It was unfair towards Weiss, but Blake supposed that everyone wanted to be loved.

"We'll figure out a way to get Myrtenaster back," said Blake. It was probably an empty promised, but she was going to do everything possible to make it true. And if possible, she was going to make Ilia see reason.

"I should go tell Dad that his daughter hasn't eloped with a Schnee daughter yet," continued Blake, "Will you be okay on your own?"

Weiss nodded. "I didn't get hurt much," she said, "I'll go ask Sun if he wants to spar unarmed. I'll need the practice."

They separated and Blake went to her father's public office where he was dealing with an unending torrent of complaints and fears about possible Schnee incursion into Menagerie. The procession of visitors all with the same complaint left Ghira Belladonna weary and irritable. Blake's arrival provided him with an excuse to wave away one of the petitioners and take a short break.

"How are you holding up, Dad?" asked Blake.

He sighed. "I'm managing," he said, "They all know I can't do anything about it, but they need to complain to someone."

Blake took a seat on the chair intended for visitors. "I thought the position of chieftain was mostly symbolic," she said.

"It is, but that doesn't mean people don't want reassurance from it."

His face looked like he hadn't slept all week. Perhaps news that his daughter wasn't seduced by the daughter of the symbol of Faunus oppression would cheer him up. "I talked to Weiss. She was half-asleep. You have nothing to worry about." Blake was speaking the truth. The memory of Weiss' heartbroken face was making her heart ache, but it was just concern for a friend.

"That's good," he replied, "I wouldn't want to lose my daughter again."

Blake sighed. "Dad," she started, but she immediately had to pause to arrange her words. "Back at Beacon, Weiss was shocked when she found out I was a Faunus. She thought I was still part of the White Fang. But in the end, she apologized. I didn't have to ask her for it. She herself thought about what happened and decided that she was in the wrong. She has trusted me ever since. She even came here with me to make sure I wasn't alone. I would trust her with my life, so please, let her show that she's not your enemy."

Dad listened to her without saying a word. "You know I'm just worried about you, right?" he said when she was done.

Blake nodded. "I know, but Weiss is nothing like Adam."

"The Taurus boy." He sank back into silence. Adam wasn't a subject Blake wanted to talk about. Their last meeting was something she couldn't forget. What would Adam do if it was Weiss in Yang's place? Blake didn't dare to think further. Fortunately, her father distracted her by speaking.

"I thought the White Fang in Menagerie wasn't like the White Fang back in the Kingdoms. They were still doing good," he said, "And now I find out that Taurus and Khan got to them too."

His face had the same look that Weiss had before. Blake didn't feel any reserve about getting up and hugging him, but it felt weird. Her father was almost a giant and Blake felt like her hug wasn't enough to give him any comfort even when he was sitting down.

They stayed like that for a minute or so, until the knocking at the door got too insistent to ignore. Blake went to open the door. The man knocking looked similar to Fennec Albain: probably his brother. "I apologize for the intrusion," he said with hypocritical politeness oozing from his voice, "But I have a most urgent matter to discuss with chieftain Belladonna."

Blake turned around to gauge her father's reaction. He seemed to be back to the guise of a leader of his people, capable of listening to all their worries and ready to do his utmost to help.

"I'll see you later, Dad," said Blake suppressing the urge to throw the White Fang member out.

She left by the visitors' door, passing by the still long queue of several dozens of agitated people. Unlike her father, Blake was a virtual unknown in Menagerie, just another face in the crowd. Which is why she was the target of a few unhappy glares from those who thought that she was someone who had skipped ahead in the queue.

There was not much to do now. Any plans for what to do next would have to include her father who would want advance warning on any havoc she was planning to wreak. Blake thought about finding Sun, since with Weiss disarmed, his help would be needed more than ever.

Her Scroll buzzed a notification about new message. Blake checked it and frowned. It came from Weiss' Scroll.

The message was simple: _I need to talk to you. Come alone. Ilia_, followed by directions to a certain house in the city. Blake's frown deepened.

It was impossible to trust Ilia after what happened. Image of Weiss' sad expression flashed through Blake's mind and she felt angry. Weiss was Ilia's enemy, but Ilia went too far in Blake's eyes.

But if Ilia had Weiss' Scroll, she could probably lead Blake to Myrtenaster. Weiss would definitely like to know where it was. The invitation was almost certainly a trap, though. Why else would Ilia ask Blake to come alone?

She couldn't possibly do as Ilia had asked and ho meet her alone. She couldn't even tell Weiss about the message, since she would insist on going with her, even though she was unarmed. And she couldn't ask Dad or Sun to come with her because they'd be unable to stay hidden without Ilia noticing them.

Whatever she decided, she'd have to get armed. Gambol Shroud was still in her room, since Mom did not like Blake bringing weapons to meals. Blake continued to weigh her options as she went to retrieve it. She had to go, that was clear. They needed more information on what the White Fang was planning in Menagerie and this was a chance to figure it out.

There was no one she could take without either endangering them or scaring Ilia away. In the end, Blake settled on going alone, but she sent the location to Sun and asked him to come help if she didn't send another message in an hour. She deleted the sent message from her Scroll, so that Ilia wouldn't know to send a fake message if she got past Blake's password fast enough. That would have to do.

The directions Ilia provided were precise enough that Blake had no trouble finding the place quickly. The location turned out to be one of the innumerable tiny one-room houses that were common on Menagerie's cramped coast. Blake double checked the location and then entered the house without knocking. The interior was bare and dusty. No one had lived in this house for a long time. Blake wondered how many houses in Menagerie ended up abandoned like this with no one except the White Fang knowing.

The only light in the room came from the heavily curtained windows, but that wasn't an issue for Blake. The only apparent exit from the house was behind her and Ilia was the only person in the room. So far, so good.

Ilia lifted her eyes from a tattered paperback she was reading. She smiled. "I know you'd come, Blake," she said.

"What do you think you're doing, Ilia?" asked Blake. She was here to get answers, not socialize.

"I could ask you the same thing," replied Ilia, "You didn't just leave us, you outright betrayed us."

"Is this why you wanted to see me?" said Blake.

"No," said Ilia and stood up from her seat, "I want to give you a chance to come back home. It's not too late."

"I am home," said Blake, "And I'm not going to repeat a mistake I already made once before."

Ilia put down her book on the chair. "Blake, the White Fang needs you. I need you." Her voice had a pleading tone.

Blake shook her head and decided to take a calculated risk. She turned around and stepped back towards the door. "If that's all you had to say."

"Wait," cried Ilia and Blake felt the girl's hand catch her arm, "Don't go."

Ilia's grip was strong, but it weakened the moment Blake stopped moving. By the time Blake turned back to Ilia, Ilia's arm was hanging limply by her side. "Why?" asked Blake.

"I missed you," said Ilia in a voice so quiet that Blake could barely hear her.

Ilia refused to meet Blake's eyes. Everything in the bare room seemed to be more interesting to her than Blake. "You didn't sound like you would miss me when you told me to go to hell," said Blake.

"I was angry at you and Adam that time," admitted Ilia, "I'm sorry."

Blake was left to process the apology while Ilia was busy studying her own feet. What did Adam have to do with this? If anyone embodied Ilia's ideal of the White Fang, it was Adam: full of rage against humans and determined to make every single one of them pay. Ilia had always approved of Adam's schemes.

"Are you sorry for what you did to Weiss?" asked Blake finally. She had to know if Ilia was even susceptible to guilty feelings.

Ilia laughed. "I see how it is," she said without any mirth in her voice, "You're here to make me apologize to your Schnee master." She took a step back and put a hand on her weapon, but her stance showed that she was preparing to defend herself, not to attack.

"Weiss is my friend," stated Blake. She knew that saying that would just confirm Ilia's belief that Blake was an enemy, but that was a risk she had accepted when she entered the house. At least, if it would come to a fight, it's be one on one.

"Don't deceive yourself, Blake," replied Ilia, "A Schnee will never see you as anything more than a pet. When she gets bored of you, you'll spend the rest of your life in a mine."

"You don't know Weiss," said Blake, struggling to hide her anger. She should have known that coming here was a fool's errand. The time they spent apart had hardened Ilia even more and Blake saw no way she could get through to her.

"She'll throw you away," insisted Ilia, "Unless you run away first like your family always does."

Burning anger washed over Blake and she didn't bother suppressing it. "Keep my family out of it!" she shouted. Her hand unconsciously sought the hilt of Gambol Shroud. "Is that why you called me here, to insult my family and friends?" she continued, her voice calming down a little.

"Isn't that what you said yourself?" countered Ilia, red rising all over her body, "That your father was a coward who couldn't accept what the Fang had to do?"

Ilia was right and the shame over her past only made Blake angrier with both Ilia and herself. "I was wrong!" she shouted again, "I was wrong and Dad was right! Can't you see what happened to the White Fang?!"

Ilia was shouting back, entirely red now, "At least we're doing something. We're not hiding and crawling before the Schnees and other humans."

"Didn't you see all the people who had to flee their homes and come here because of what Adam did?" Ilia had a conscience. Blake knew it. Even if she couldn't convince Ilia now, she had to let her know about the cost of what the White Fang did.

"They fear the humans because the humans don't fear us," said Ilia. That was the mantra of the new White Fang. Humans will only stop persecuting the Faunus once they do not dare persecute the Faunus. Eat or be eaten. There can be no coexistence. In the end, it was a step too far for Blake.

"I'm not coming back," said Blake and turned to leave. Her ears were straining to hear the slightest sound of Ilia getting ready to attack. It did not come. The only thing was a feeble tug at her sleeve.

"Don't go," said Ilia's faint voice, "Stay with me."

At first, Blake jerked her arm to free herself of Ilia's weak grasp and intended to head out. But the sudden change in Ilia's attitude and the memory of past friendship made her stop and give Ilia another chance. "Give me one reason why I should," she stated.

When Ilia wasn't saying anything, Blake decided to look at her. Ilia was changing colors rapidly: various shades of green and blue were playing over her skin. Blake couldn't remember the last time she saw her in such turmoil. Whatever was going on in Ilia's head, it didn't seem likely that she would attack Blake. The only spot to sit down in the dusty room was Ilia's chair, so Blake remained standing until Ilia had figured out what she wanted to say.

Ilia's words were so quiet that Blake barely heard them. "I love you," she whispered. She was clearly much more serious about her words than Weiss.

The confession took Blake by surprise, but it made a lot of things make sense in retrospect: Ilia's complicated relationship with Adam for one thing. There would be more time to think about it later, but for now, Blake had to give some sort of an answer.

She shook her head. "Sorry, Ilia, I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

With this, Blake left the house. She didn't have the courage to look back at Ilia's face.


	10. X - Council of War, Part One

With both Blake and Myrtenaster gone, Weiss had very little to do. It seemed like everyone in the Belladonna household was avoiding her as she wandered the manor in search of a shower. The day had been mostly a disaster so far, but Weiss knew from experience that a large amount of hot water would improve it immensely. Or maybe cold water: Menagerie was a very hot place.

For the first time since she woke up in the grove, she thought about her luggage. It wasn't much, but contained all her spare clothes. She hadn't changed for far too long and her thoroughly sweat-drenched outfit was practically stuck to her body. Hopefully, her Aura would be up to the task if her clothes decided to take some skin with them when undressing.

Finding her luggage wasn't the only way of getting a change of clothes, but it was the most appealing one. She was sure that Blake would let her borrow some, but that would be… wrong, too intimate. If she could find Sun, he'd probably know where her things were, if anywhere, and they could schedule a sparring match after Weiss took a quick shower. She'd need another shower afterwards, but right now Weiss felt like she could shower for days.

While not as expansive as the overly spacious Schnee manor, the house of Menagerie's chieftain was still a large structure. The few house staff employed by Blake's family avoided Weiss whenever they encountered her. It didn't seem that they'd reply if she asked them for help.

After a bit of aimless wandering, Weiss finally realized that the manor did not have a gym or a sparring room. She had found a bathroom with a working shower, but she still didn't have a change of clothes. Just as she was leaving it, she almost bumped into Blake's mother. Even though Mrs. Belladonna let her into the manor, Weiss still didn't know what impression she left on her. Hopefully, she wouldn't give too much weight to Weiss' faux pas at mealtime. Even if she did, Blake's mother was still the person most likely to help Weiss find Sun. "Could you spare a moment?" asked Weiss.

"Sure. Are you done talking with Blake?" replied Blake's mother as she stopped.

Weiss nodded. "The dishes are done," she said, "I'm trying to find Sun and see if he knows where my spare clothes ended up."

"Could you tell me where to find them?" asked Weiss. She didn't dare looking into the bathroom mirror for fear of seeing how her clothes looked. The stains were the worst part of wearing white. Weiss was desperate for clean clothes.

Blake's mother looked at her all over and Weiss found herself shrinking away from embarrassment. "Go ahead and take a shower; I'll bring you a change of clothes," she said.

Before Weiss had a chance to reply, Blake's mother disappeared behind a corner. Weiss did not like the idea of Blake's mother going through her clothes, but the prospect of a shower was too irresistible for her to worry too much about it.

For the next quarter of an hour or so, Weiss was lost in the pleasure of hot water running over her body and washing away all the grime, dust, sweat, and blood that have been covering her for far too long. When the water running into the drain turned translucent again, Weiss got out. She immediately noticed a small basket of clothes that had to have been recently inserted into the room through a slot in the door. They were not her clothes and Weiss let out a sigh of relief.

The clothes were of a local style that was unfamiliar to her, but she managed to put them on. The fit perfectly, including the underwear. Blake's mother had a scarily sharp eye. When she looked at herself in the mirror, Weiss could almost believe that the figure reflected in the glass was a Menagerie native. It was a shame that these clothes would get drenched with sweat again once she found Sun.

Once again, she cursed Ilia. It was so much easier to find where someone was when you could just call them on their Scroll. Now her Scroll was either lying somewhere in a ditch or the White Fang was trying to break into it to find SDC secrets.

She was about to take her chance with searching for Sun outside the Belladonna manor when she spotted him. Weiss waved at him. "Hey Sun," she started, "I need a favor."

Sun didn't even think about his reply. "Sure," he said, "There's not much to do around here anyway."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even say what I want," she said, "Are you sure about this?"

"I know you aren't going to ask me to do something I'd regret," Sun replied. His Scroll buzzed. "One moment," he said and checked it.

A hint of a frown appeared on his face, but he soon returned his attention to Weiss. Was it a message from Blake? Unless Sun made new friends, Blake was the only person in Menagerie with both a Scroll and Sun's number. It did not seem that he intended to share the news with her and Weiss wasn't about to give in to curiosity and ask. She cleared her throat. "I need to brush up on unarmed combat and I was wondering if you'd spar with me a little," she said.

"Is that it?" asked Sun, "The way you asked I expected something more."

"That's it," confirmed Weiss, "Does this place have a sparring room?"

"Follow me," said Sun and turned around. "It's not really a sparring room, but it's large and empty," he explained as he started walking.

Even though he wasn't a guest in the house for much longer than Weiss, Sun already acted like he knew every single corner of it. He led her to a room Weiss guessed to be somewhere on the opposite side from the main entrance. Like he said, it was almost empty, aside from a few pieces of spare furniture stashed in a corner. The manor was too large for just Blake's parents to live in and unlike Weiss' father, they didn't keep a small army of maids to make it seem like every room was in use.

"We should be fine here," said Sun, "Ready to start?"

Weiss was taken aback by Sun's eagerness, but she agreed. Her borrowed clothes did not seem to limit her mobility. She should be able to hold her own for at least some time. They took positions on opposite sides of the room. There was no way for them to measure their Aura here, but that didn't really matter too much. Weiss would just have to be quick to surrender if something bad happened. No, Weiss thought. She couldn't think of this as a duel with foregone conclusion. She had to try to win. "Ready?" she asked Sun.

"Ready," he confirmed and immediately charged Weiss.

Weiss stepped out of the way and attempted to trip Sun. The Faunus boy was stronger and heavier than her, so her best chance was to use that against him. Her timing was good and Sun staggered a little as she kicked him in the knee, but Weiss' blow did not have enough force behind it to be effective.

She ducked and roll to avoid Sun's fist and tried to think of a plan. Sun kept close to her and the best she could do was avoid his blows. He had yet to touch her, but Weiss knew that if he did, it was all over. Her only advantage was speed and she had to figure out a way to leverage it. The room was too small for her to be able to put any significant distance between them.

Weiss twirled around and started running away from Sun at top speed. She crossed the room in two or three seconds and slammed head first into her own glyph that propelled her back, making her hit Sun with much more force than she'd be ordinarily able to exert. Sun and Weiss both tumbled to the ground. Weiss got up faster: she was prepared for the fall. It was one thing to kick Sun down to the ground and it was quite another to keep him there. Weiss darted over to the discarded furniture and pushed an old commode in Sun's direction, once again using her glyphs to give it enough velocity.

Sun was already up when the piece of furniture hit him and it didn't seem to slow him down at all. Weiss scrambled to think of another plan, but before she could think of one, Sun's clones piled on her and pinned her to the ground. It was hopeless for Weiss to struggle against just Sun, much less him and his clones.

That didn't mean she didn't try. Her arms and legs were immobilized, but she bashed Sun's face with her head. His concentration lapsed for a moment and the clones' grip slackened, but it was only a momentary relief. Weiss was thrashing around to no avail. She was ready to give up and admit defeat when the door cracked open.

It was Blake's father. Both Sun and Weiss immediately froze and Weiss' gaze rested on the commode that broke apart when it hit Sun. Ghira Belladonna walked over to them. Sun released Weiss who sat up. When Weiss was down on the floor, the height difference between her and Ghira was enormous.

"Schnee," said Ghira, "A White Fang representative came here to speak to me. He said that the people of Menagerie were concerned about rumors of a Schnee living at my house and what it means and how disappointed the people would be to discover the chieftain making secret deals with the Schnees. You know what that means?"

Weiss knew perfectly well. Not even Blake could object now. She got up to her feet and nodded. "I'll get my things and leave immediately," she said. She wasn't going to give the White Fang a chance to blackmail Blake's father.

Ghira burst into laughter. That wasn't the reaction Weiss expected and it didn't sound like the laughter of someone who had just got his way. Blake's father seemed genuinely amused by Weiss' reply for some reason.

"No, Schnee," he said once his laughter had stopped, "You're going to stay here in this house as an honored guest. Don't even think about leaving, understood?"

Weiss nodded and a smile spread over her face. She knew that Blake's father would probably never come around to actually liking her, but right now, Weiss herself was sure that she liked the man just a little bit. He said nothing more and left the room. "What was that all about?" asked Sun.

"Come on, Sun," replied Weiss, "Did you never do something just because someone you didn't like wanted you to do the opposite?"

Before Sun had a chance to respond, his Scroll buzzed and he went to check the new message and reply to it. "Blake wants me to find you," he said. "Something to do with Ilia."

Completely irrational jealousy hit Weiss. It wasn't possible for Blake to message her at the moment, but did she really have to go and message Sun? Weiss' anger at her own stupidity made her reply to Sun sound harsher than she wanted to. "Where is she?" she asked?

"She didn't say," claimed Sun, "Let's just wait for her up on the terrace."

Weiss wanted to argue, but there was no point. There was no telling for sure if Sun was hiding something from her. She nodded. Weiss didn't even know the house had a terrace, so she had to rely on Sun to show her the way.

The sight of the sky gave Weiss the first real idea of what time it was since she woke up. The sun was almost halfway on its way down to the horizon. If it was afternoon, that meant she woke during lunch. She just enjoyed the fresh air while she waited for Blake to show up. The warm sun made Weiss feel so relaxed she could easily fall asleep. How long was it since she slept in a proper bed? Her entire life just kept falling apart since all that had happened at Beacon. It wasn't the time to get some rest. Ilia still had Myrtenaster and Weiss wasn't going to leave Menagerie without it.

Weiss was too engrossed in her thoughts and Menagerie's scenery to hear Blake entering the terrace. She managed to stop herself from jumping in surprise when Blake spoke. She was getting careless.

"I'm back," announced Blake.

Weiss turned around. Blake was dressed like she was out hunting Grimm, though it didn't look like she had fought anyone today. "Back from where?" asked Weiss.

Her voice must have been harder than she intended to because Blake froze in place and Weiss caught a look of guilt on her face. "Ilia wanted to see me," Blake mumbled.

"And you went?" Weiss was aware that she was almost screaming. "What if it was a trap?" After seeing what Ilia was capable of, Weiss could see her setting up a trap to kidnap Blake and brainwashing her into returning to the White Fang. "Couldn't you see how dangerous it was?" The look on Blake's face made her stop yelling. She was looking at her feet, just quietly accepting all of Weiss' complaints. "I'm sorry," said Weiss in a quieter voice, "I'm worried about you."

"I understand," said Blake, "I won't go see her alone again, don't worry." She paused. "I sent Sun a message before I went. He would've come to save me if I took too long."

Weiss didn't say anything to this. She was useless without Myrtenaster. The only thing she could do if Ilia came after her was to run away. Sparring with Sun wouldn't help her be anything more than a burden on her friends, at least not on short notice. It was frustrating to be so powerless and dependent on her weapon. She clenched her fist and looked at the flimsy-looking furniture on the terrace. In the end, she did not vent her anger on it. The possibility of being too weak to break it stopped her.

She had noticed Sun looking at her and forced herself to smile. He grinned in response. "Do you have any idea of what to do next?" asked Sun, "We can't just sit around and wait for them to make a move."

Blake shook her head. "Not right now. We barely know anything about the White Fang here in Menagerie," she said, "I thought I might get something from Ilia, but it didn't work out."

"They already made a move," said Weiss. Perhaps it was better to break the news to Blake now. "Your dad said they're trying to paint him as a Schnee ally because I'm staying here."

"When did he say that?" asked Blake.

"He found us when we were sparring," said Weiss, "He seemed angry about it. Angry enough that he told me I can stay here for as long as I want."

"That's…" Blake paused, "…news, I guess. Are you planning on staying?"

Weiss wasn't sure. Blake's father only wanted her to stay because he wanted to take a stand against the White Fang. It wouldn't be right to get someone who sheltered her into trouble on her account. On the other hand, she was penniless and unarmed. She'd make easy prey for the White Fang. "I don't know," she said at length.

"You can't be seriously thinking about leaving?!" exclaimed Blake, "Ilia isn't going to let you escape a second time."

"If you'd let me interrupt," said Sun, "Who exactly is this Ilia? I think I've seen her at the Fang base, but you never introduced us."

Blake stopped before saying anything more to Weiss and turned her attention to Sun. "Long story short, she's an old, probably former, friend who is still with the White Fang," she explained, "And I just found out she's been in love with me for years."

"It's always the quiet ones who turn out to be the most popular," joked Sun.

No one laughed, but it lightened the mood a little. Weiss didn't want to add anything. Her situation at the moment seemed hopeless, unless she wanted to rely on Blake's father's continued goodwill. Ghira Belladonna had a reputation as a man of his word, but it was unpleasant to depend on someone who so clearly disliked her.

"I've got it," said Sun with a wide grin, "We can both keep Blake's dad out of trouble and bait the White Fang into showing their cards."

"I'm listening," said Weiss. She was willing to try anything to get out of this situation.

"The only thing the White Fang can use against Blake's dad is that Weiss is staying here, right? And if she tried staying in the city, she'd get attacked the moment we can't help her. So, we have to make it that Weiss is staying in the city and make the White Fang try to attack her when there's someone protecting her."

Weiss nodded. "That makes sense. But how are you planning on that? The White Fang isn't going to threaten their support by resorting to open violence," she said. If she had to be the bait in order to stop just hiding in safety, she was going to do it.

Sun's grin widened even more. "Easy. You and Blake will pretend to date and move in together somewhere in the city."

"Sun," said Blake, "That would probably work, but I'm not sure Weiss is up to it."

What Blake said was an understatement. Was this Sun's idea at matchmaking? Going from what she knew about Ilia, Weiss was sure that the plan would work. If Blake was dating a Schnee, Ilia would be driven crazy with jealousy. It was a good plan, Weiss had to admit. It was a plan that would work and let Weiss help instead of being a dead-weight. She should agree to it. They had no better option right now. And even though Weiss did not like Blake's father much, it would also help with his problems with the White Fang. He could claim Blake was kicked out after it came out she was dating a Schnee. All of those were excellent reasons and it would let Weiss spend a lot more time with Blake. The only reason she could refuse was because she was afraid and that reason wasn't good enough. And if this was Sun's idea of matchmaking, well, she wasn't happy about it, but she could live with it. He probably didn't mean anything bad with his suggestion.

"I refuse," she said. Blake's face showed relief. Sun's showed disappointment.

"But why?" asked Sun, "It's a good plan, isn't it?"

"It is," agreed Weiss and took a deep breath. Everything about the idea was good except for one thing. "But if I am to date Blake, I want it to be real, not pretend."


	11. XI - Council of War, Part Two

Blake caught a glimpse of Sun fist pumping in triumph when he heard Weiss' words. It was obvious that he had ulterior motives when he proposed that plan. Blake herself didn't have any major objections to it, but Weiss had to go and change everything.

She looked at Weiss who was still waiting for someone to say something. Weiss didn't try to avoid meeting Blake's look, but Blake saw that she was trembling a little. Unlike in the morning, there was no way for Weiss to say that she did not mean anything special with her words. What should she do? She couldn't just lie to Weiss.

"Weiss," she started. The white-haired girl's head jerked upwards as if she had only just noticed Blake's presence. Weiss opened her mouth a little as if to say something, but so sound came out.

"Today was a long day," continued Blake, "We'll talk tomorrow, I promise."

Weiss mutely nodded and the three of them parted ways. Blake returned to her own room, hoping to find some privacy. An irrational part of her brain was blaming Weiss for complicating everything. There was nowhere for Blake to run anymore. Beacon was gone; Weiss and the White Fang were in Menagerie. She could go to Vacuo or Mistral, but what would she do after that? Her past had always caught up with her before. Besides, running away would be unfair to Weiss who had left behind everything to come with her.

What would her father say if she decided to go out with Weiss? She was an adult and he could no longer forbid it, but she didn't come back home to alienate her family all over again. That would make for an excuse, but again, it wouldn't be fair to Weiss.

She didn't reach any conclusion before it was time for dinner. Weiss, Sun and her parents were already there when she arrived. Blake thought that she was probably the only one who noticed that Weiss seemed unusually subdued. Sun would know the reason, but if Blake's parents noticed, they'd probably think it was because of the presence of Blake's father.

The dinner went by quietly and without an incident. When they were done, Blake volunteered to help her mother with cleaning up. "You're unusually helpful today," said her mother.

Blake shifted uncomfortably. She didn't offer to help because she had wanted to help. "Do you have time to talk a bit after we're done?" she asked.

"I always have time for my daughter," said her mother.

Blake looked around. Everyone had already vanished from the room leaving them alone. "I need some advice," she admitted.

Her mother looked surprised. "What for? Don't you always know what to do?" she asked.

Mom didn't mean it that way, but the reminder of how Blake rejected all that her parents had said before she left with Adam stung Blake. She didn't want to repeat the same mistakes again and she was afraid that she was close to it. She recalled Weiss as she was waiting for Blake's reply on the terrace. Weiss at that moment reminded Blake of glass: Fragile enough that Blake could shatter her to pieces with a single badly chosen word, but still hard and unyielding.

She had finally gathered her thoughts enough to speak and she blushed at the idea. "It's about relationships," she asked.

Her mother laughed. "Oh, sweetie," she said, "We'd better sit down with a cup of tea for that. You go ahead and I'll make it."

Blake returned to her spot at the table and tried to figure out what she wanted to say to her mother. It felt strange to ask her own mother for advice in this area, but there was no one else around. Then again, Blake herself wasn't sure what she wanted help with. Mom didn't really know Weiss and the final decision was on Blake. She couldn't just ask Mom what to do and make her take responsibility if it went badly.

She wasn't anywhere near decision when her mother brought a tray with steaming teapot and two small cups on it. She set it down, poured out tea for both Blake and herself and then joined Blake at the table.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" she asked while waiting for the tea to cool down a little.

Blake hesitated. "Sun had this idea," she started and immediately realized that mentioning Sun first probably gave her mother the wrong idea. "About Weiss," she corrected. "That we should pretend to date to provoke the White Fang into action," she explained further. The plan made no sense to someone who didn't know about Ilia's feelings for Blake, but there was no need to go into that much detail right now.

Her mother listened without comment, waiting for Blake to finish. "Anyway," said Blake, "I was willing to give it a shot, but then Weiss said she won't do it unless we date for real and now I don't know what to do." She sighed at the end.

"You don't know what you should do or what do you want to do?" asked her mother and took a careful sip of the hot tea.

"Both, actually," said Blake, "It's our best bet to do anything about the White Fang quickly and help Dad by moving Weiss out of the house, so I should, but I don't know if I should commit to it." She paused a little before continuing. Just getting to vocalize this in front of someone who listened was enough to help a little. "I like Weiss, but I don't know if I like her enough to avoid hurting her. I don't want to give her any false hopes. But it's our best chance to do something about the White Fang…"

Blake's voice trailed off and her mother took it as her cue to talk. "But what do you want to do?" she asked.

"I don't know," admitted Blake. Becoming too close with anyone would put them in danger. Not just from Ilia, but eventually Adam was going to find her again. What happened to Yang was more than enough. If Blake cared about anyone, she had to keep her distance. Weiss might have been willing to take the risk, but Blake couldn't allow her to. If Weiss knew that Blake was thinking like this again, she would doubtless get angry, but what happened with Ilia had proven that Blake was right. Anyone close to her was in danger; it didn't matter that Adam was far away. The news would get to him sooner or later and there was no telling if he'd hold off on taking his revenge.

Her mother watched her as she was thinking. "I know that I don't want for Weiss to be put into any more danger," said Blake eventually.

Her mother nodded. "But what do you want for yourself?" she asked.

For herself? It had been so long since Blake last thought about that. She wanted to be free of the White Fang and Adam for good. With those hanging over her, there was no point in wishing for anything else. But if they were gone, what would she want? To become a proper Huntress, to help people in need, to atone for her past… All of those would be no longer necessary. She could join Ruby and Yang and Weiss in whatever they were doing. There would be time to figure out more later. Knowing that didn't help her immediate dilemma at all. "I have no idea," she admitted.

"If you don't know, I can't help you," said her mother, "You're too old for me to try and decide who you're allowed to date. If I had to give you advice, I'd just tell you to be honest. It might not always work out, but it's usually better in the long run.

This advice was so cliché that Blake had to smile at it. Maybe she needed it though, what with her bad habit of keeping secrets. She emptied the cup of tea Mom had prepared for her and stood up. "I think I know what to do," she said.

Her mother smiled. "Then go and do it," she said, "I can handle the dishes myself."

Blake nodded and headed out. Weiss was probably in the room given to her, but as Blake walked towards it, she found herself moving slower and slower. Nothing would change for as long as she didn't make a decision. Weiss would stay safely in the house and Blake and Sun would be free to pursue Ilia on their own. They could retrieve Myrtenaster and then Weiss could join them when dealing with the rest of the White Fang in Menagerie. Everything would work out fine. She had almost come to a complete stop.

It would not do. Not dealing with something was the same as running away. Weiss deserved better. Blake picked up her pace and didn't stop until she arrived at the door to Weiss' room. She knocked on the door frame. "Weiss, are you in?" Blake inquired.

No response. Blake repeated her knocking and her question a second time and was met with the same answer. Did anyone even tell Weiss which room was hers? Sun would, if he remembered. Blake knocked for the third time, hoping against hope that she'd get a response. When Weiss still didn't reply, Blake gingerly pushed the door open. Weiss had the room all to herself, which meant that entering without an invitation had _implications_. Blake had a lot of experience with entering places without permission, but much less with doing it with honest intentions.

The room was dark and Blake strained her ears to hear anything at all from within. If Weiss wasn't in, Blake's transgression would be a lesser one. She didn't hear anything, so she slipped into the room and silently closed the door behind her. The room was too dark for a human to see, but it had just enough light for Blake to find her way around, if only barely.

It was only when she closed the door and all outside was shut out that Blake heard the faintest sound of human breath. Closer examination led Blake to Weiss, sound asleep and with a light blanket draped over her. Weiss' pale face, somehow still untouched by Menagerie's sun, seemed to glow in the dark and when Blake saw it, her resolution crumbled to pieces again. Even in sleep, Weiss' face was tense and drawn with worry and Blake just couldn't imagine herself telling Weiss that she just couldn't date her. All her wavering had one stable point: She didn't want to hurt Weiss. The chance that she could do that was the only actual objection she had.

Weiss had accepted that risk, so why should Blake worry about it? She knew that she wanted to convince herself to say yes. Weiss was pretty, Blake liked her and Blake herself was unattached at the moment. Take White Fang, Blake's family, Weiss' family, and that they were part of the same team out of the equation and what was left was what really mattered.

Her mind made up, Blake briefly considered waiting for Weiss to wake up, but it felt strange to stay alone with Weiss. Their room at Beacon was a different thing, one couldn't really expect any sort of privacy there. Blake felt like an intruder here, even if it was probable that Weiss would forgive her. She left the room as quietly as she had entered it, hoping that her resolve would last the night.

Sleep came slowly to Blake and the morning arrived implausibly quickly. Judging by how Weiss looked, her sleep wasn't very restful either. Blake smiled at Weiss encouragingly to let her know that she wouldn't have to wait long. Weiss seemed to have got the hint, since she ate her breakfast unusually fast for such a dainty eater.

Even with how preoccupied with Weiss she was, Blake could still see that her father was looking tired and irritated. Did the White Fang put their threats into action so soon? All the more reason to take Weiss and leave the house.

When the meal was over and everyone dispersed, Sun grinned at the sight of Weiss and Blake disappearing to talk. Blake noticed and gave him a dark look. At least someone was hundred percent enthusiastic about the entire thing. Blake herself didn't like the idea of exposing Weiss to danger, but it was Weiss' decision in the end.

The two of them headed to the terrace. It was morning and the outside air was still pleasantly cool after the night. Blake didn't plan on talking with Weiss at the same place as yesterday, but it was the place where they were least likely to be interrupted.

Weiss leaned on the railing, clearly waiting for Blake to speak. Blake had no reason to wait. "Weiss," she said, "Let's give dating a try."

She saw Weiss' hands tighten their grip on the railing a little before she relaxed and turned to Blake with solemn face.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"If you asked me out at any other time," said Blake, "I would have said yes and I won't let the White Fang dictate what I do."

A hesitant smile slowly spread over Weiss' face. "It's hard to believe."

"I don't know how it'll go, but we can find out," replied Blake.

"Are you sure?" asked Weiss. "I'm a Schnee." She seemed to have regained her composure.

"You're Weiss Schnee," said Blake, "That makes all the difference."

Was it just her imagination or did a touch of color come over Weiss' cheek? Did she really have that effect on her? Whatever the case, Blake liked that idea. Unlike her face, Weiss' voice did not betray any overabundant emotion. "So what's the plan now?" she asked.

"We find a place to stay in the city and go out on dates in public," said Blake, "Involving lots of PDA if we want the plan to work."

No sign of scarlet on Weiss' face. Blake thought that she must have imagined the slight blush before. A pity.

"I can live with that," said Weiss.


	12. XII - In Mortal Peril?

The whole relationship was progressing way too fast. It was only a few weeks ago that Weiss first had the vague idea that dating Blake might be nice and now they were apartment hunting together and Blake's behavior was so affectionate they seemed like a newlywed couple. The plan to lure out Ilia required it and Weiss didn't exactly mind, but Weiss also wouldn't mind slowing down a little.

After all, her dating experience was miniscule. Her family did not approve of her going out unchaperoned, most of her dating activities at Beacon were confined to turning Jaune down and the exception that was Neptune did not last long. She had a general idea of what to expect, but it all ended being so _fast_.

Her imagination provided her with some potential scenarios, but Weiss was still unable to fully cope with the reality of Blake being openly affectionate. Weiss couldn't help but wonder how much of it was just an act. She felt Blake drawing her closer and snapped back to reality. The owner of the small place they were checking out was looking at them expectantly. "So, what do you think?" asked Blake.

Weiss wouldn't admit that she wasn't paying attention, so she quickly looked around the small one-room apartment. It was about as big as their dorm room at Beacon, but since it had to fit in a kitchen counter, they would have about the same amount of personal space. There was a bathroom attached, so all the necessities were covered.

"It'll do," she replied before Blake would have a reason to think she was only just now looking around. That was the reason she only spotted the double bed when it was too late.

"Perfect," said the owner, an unassuming deer Faunus, "I'll just leave the keys here and let you settle in."

All the lessons in law and economy her father made her take were more than enough for Weiss to know that this wasn't how rental contracts were usually done. Menagerie's real estate market was still booming and there was little reason for the owner to rent out the place so quickly. Unless, of course, he was connected to the White Fang who were supposed to help new arrivals in Menagerie find places to stay.

A quick signature later, Weiss and Blake were left alone in their new apartment. The curtains were drawn to keep out the day's harsh sunlight, so the two quickly stepped away from each other. Weiss was glad that the pressure of acting like a lovey-dovey couple was gone, but at the same time, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed by how fast Blake drew away.

"I'm not bothering you, right?" asked Blake with worry apparent in her voice.

"No, not at all," replied Weiss reflexively. Truth be told, she was bothered a little by how close Blake had been to her the entire time they were in public, but she figured she'd get used to it eventually and she didn't want Blake to start having second thoughts about the whole idea.

"Good," said Blake and moved in closer to quickly squeeze Weiss' hand. It was much less than what Weiss had to endure (?) in public, but she appreciated it much more.

They were standing hand-in-hand win the middle of the room and Weiss felt like she should say something. A lot of the time she spent with Blake in the past was filled with comfortable silence, but they should probably try to communicate more now. Their entire relationship was sort of a whirlwind affair, but Weiss was sure that something should change now that they were dating.

"Blake," she said, "This is suspicious."

Blake nodded. "It was too easy," she said, "It should be more difficult to find a place to stay in Menagerie, even for the chieftain's daughter."

Weiss couldn't help but smile. Of course Blake would notice. She didn't like to be reminded of it, but Blake used to be a member of terrorist organization. She would notice if things were happening a bit too conveniently. "Do you think the landlord is connected to the White Fang?" she asked.

"That's possible," said Blake, "We should assume everyone we meet is at least a sympathizer."

"Good thing we're dating then," said Weiss, "If this was just an act, we wouldn't be able to catch a break." She was painfully aware that they were still holding hands and this was a perfect excuse to avoid letting go. Blake had to think a long time about whether she wanted to date Weiss and it seemed the decision was a difficult one. Weiss wasn't sure how long would the relationship last, so she wanted to take advantage of every moment she could.

Blake was watching her with an impassive expression and Weiss had to wonder what was going on behind her amber eyes. It was difficult to tell what Blake was thinking at any given moment. Weiss knew that it wasn't because Blake was trying to hide her thoughts. It was just a natural part of Blake's personality that came in handy when she was trying to hide something. Weiss herself had to struggle to hide her emotions and play the perfect daughter at home. It was a great relief to be able to just go and yell at Ruby or Yang when they did something stupid.

Speaking of expressing emotions… "Blake," said Weiss and when the dark-haired girl turned to look at her, Weiss quickly rose to tiptoes and pressed her lips against Blake's cheek. "We might be watched," she whispered. What a convenient excuse.

"You're right," said Blake, "We should unpack or they'd think we're not really moving in."

For the first time since their departure from Vale, Weiss was settling down in a place where she intended to stay. Not only that, she was settling down to stay together with Blake, not just as teammates, but as a couple. All this just a day after they got together… It was too good to be true and Weiss was thoroughly convinced it wouldn't last. That meant she had to be very careful and not hasten the demise of their relationship by being overeager. She had to be just affectionate enough to make Ilia jealous and not a bit more.

Weiss tried to be business-like about the unpacking, but she couldn't help and steal a glance at Blake from time to time. When they were moving into their room at Beacon, Weiss barely cared about her teammates and so she didn't notice how graceful Blake was. It was no wonder none of her teammates guessed that she was a Faunus. Everything about her showed just how much in control of herself she really was.

She scolded herself for acting like a hopelessly lovestruck teenager. Behavior like that was unacceptable even if she technically was a lovestruck teenager. No matter how peaceful things looked, they were in mortal danger. If the landlord really had connections to the White Fang, Ilia might already know what was going on. Even Blake couldn't predict what she'd do next.

"Are you tired?" asked Blake when they were done, "We could go out and act as a bait for a bit if you're not."

Weiss shook her head. "I'm fine," she said, "Let's go."

Half an hour later, they were sitting in a private booth at a small seaside restaurant and Blake was hungrily eyeing the seafood selection. Weiss didn't have much of an appetite, but she supposed she should eat _something _to keep her strength up.

Going outside in Menagerie was always a bit stressful. There was the heat, of course, but even worse were the constant hostile looks and glances from the locals. She felt like there were even more of them now. If the White Fang spread around the information that she was in Menagerie, the locals might have stopped giving her identity the benefit of the doubt.

"Did you pick something?" asked Blake when she noticed that Weiss was no longer looking at the menu.

"I'll just have the tuna salad," said Weiss, "I don't feel like eating much."

Blake observed her. Weiss didn't understand why. She never was a big eater. Ruby deciding to skip a meal would be a case for concern, but Weiss eating only as much as she needed was normal.

"Weiss, you don't have to be worried," said Blake, "I'll protect you against everything and everyone." She paused for a bit and then added, "Even Adam."

Weiss didn't know if she was blushing, but this was as good an occasion as any. What Blake said brought to mind idle childish fantasies of having her own knight in shining armor (Naturally, as a daughter of the Schnee family, Weiss did not have to _pretend_ that she was a princess). Blake wasn't exactly a knight and Weiss was capable of fulfilling that role just fine if she had a weapon, but hearing Blake say something like that made Weiss feel all warm inside.

"I won't let Adam hurt you, my friends or my family ever again," said Blake, "I swear it."

Unconsciously, Weiss' hand sought the scar over her eye. To her, it was a mark of pride; the proof that she was a fighter. From what she knew, Adam wouldn't just stop at leaving a scar. Would he take her entire eye, leaving her mutilated like Yang? Or would he outright try to kill her?

"I'll hold you to it," said Weiss, "Because I'll need help to take him down."

Blake stared at her. "Are you crazy?" she asked, "It's Adam. He's not just someone you can 'take down'! He's too strong."

Before Weiss could reply, they were interrupted by the waiter who arrived to inquire if they were ready to order. Blake rattled out a list of dishes so long that Weiss wondered if one person could eat it all. When the waiter left, Blake turned back to her. "Don't look at me like that," she said, "You're eating it too."

"There's no way I could eat half the stuff you ordered," countered Weiss, "I don't need to eat the equivalent of my body's weight in one meal."

In response, Blake reached over their table to take Weiss' hand. Weiss looked around if there was perhaps someone spying on them that could have prompted Blake, but she saw nothing suspicious. That did not mean much, of course, but Blake didn't give any signal that would tell Weiss that they were being observed. Perhaps she intended to hold onto Weiss until the waiter had returned and make him think that he had just interrupted a private moment. It was all just part of a plan, not spontaneity on Blake's part.

Even though she saw no one and they were in a private booth, Weiss still felt watched whenever Blake touched her. They both wanted others to see them for the sake of their plan, but Weiss felt a little dissatisfied. There was no way she could enjoy the time spent with Blake wholeheartedly until they had dealt with Ilia. A flash of doubt flickered through her mind. Would Blake break up with her once the White Fang was dealt with? Weiss shook her head. There had to be something wrong with her. It was Blake she was thinking about and Blake would never do something cruel like that. It just all seemed so unlikely that what Ilia had put her through would in the end turn into a blessing in disguise. It was wonderful to have Blake all to herself. Her mother, her sister, Beacon… all had left her or have been snatched away from her. The idea of losing Blake as well was paralyzing.

"You're awfully quiet," said Blake, "Is something the matter?"

"I don't want to hear you complaining about others being quiet," deflected Weiss with a fake practiced smile she had used on her father so many times before. It was their first day together, she couldn't afford to appear clingy even if she wanted to take hold of Blake with both hands and never let go.

Blake smiled slightly at Weiss' retort and Weiss relaxed a little. "Do you have something else planned for today?" she asked and took a sip of water.

"No," said Blake, "Maybe just a walk before going back and relaxing for the rest of the day." She still wasn't letting go of Weiss' hand.

They exchanged a few more strained words before the waiter arrived. Weiss knew the culprit. She was feeling nervous around Blake, even more nervous than in those few awkward days after they found out that Blake was a Faunus. Every word and every gesture were now filled with a new significance that Weiss didn't completely understand and she was afraid of making a mistake.

The huge pile of food Blake had ordered seemed daunting to Weiss, but Blake assaulted the seafood with gusto Weiss had rarely seen her exhibit. She had to smile at Blake's appetite. Weiss herself ate at her usual pace which meant that Blake was finished with her larger meal before her.

A mischievous smile curved Blake's lips. "Do you need any help?" she asked, the tone of her voice arousing Weiss' suspicions.

Her plate was still half-full and Weiss thought she had eaten enough and could share the rest. Blake's tone seemed like she was asking for a bit more than just part of Weiss' portion, but Weiss did not give it much mind. She knew just how much Blake loved seafood and with most of Menagerie's populated areas stretched along the coastline, the island's selection was superb.

Upon hearing Weiss' reply, Blake picked up a piece of fish with her fork. Instead of eating it herself, she leaned forward to move it towards Weiss. In an instant, Weiss felt her face heat up from furious blush. Her mouth remained stubbornly closed. She looked around. No one was watching them as far as she could tell. Blake's senses were sharper than hers, but there was probably still no need for this… theatricality.

"I don't need that kind of help," she mumbled with her face turned away from Blake and her fork.

"Are you sure? It's delicious," Blake's voice was openly teasing her now and Weiss had trouble repressing how angry she felt with the blush on her face that was deepening with every passing second.

The small gap between the window curtains showed that it was dark outside and Weiss caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass. If anyone was watching from the outside, what would they think? Would this look like a light-hearted moment between a couple or like a haughty Schnee heiress unable to cope with her deception any longer? Whatever the case, they had a goal and Blake was clearly working towards it. Weiss slowly turned her head back towards her and opened her mouth with hesitation.

That one piece of fish was somehow much tastier than any she had ever tasted before and Blake was already readying another one. Weiss was burning with embarrassment, but she only had to remind herself of their purpose to docilely submit to Blake's attention. Mouthful by mouthful, the rest of Weiss' meal was fed to her by Blake who had never once commented on Weiss' face.

When the ordeal was finally finished, all semblance of calm had left Weiss. "What was this all about?" she asked Blake, trusting in the walls and windows to conceal the irritation in her voice.

"We're on a date," said Blake with imperturbable calm, "And I always wanted to do this ever since I read about it."

Weiss rose from the table. "I think we should go," she said. Why was Blake doing all this? Surely she couldn't be serious? It had been just a day, but Weiss' entire life was even more upside-down than it had been after Beacon. She needed rest and to wake up fresh the next morning with the knowledge that all this really happened because her dreams were sure to be even stranger than her day.

Blake followed her lead, but before they even left their private booth, Blake linked her arm with Weiss to make it clear even to the most casual observer that she and Weiss belonged together. The delicious thrill that ran through Weiss' body at that thought was accompanied by a chill of dread. So many people had seen them today that was no way the White Fang didn't already know about them. The staff of the restaurant bid them a friendly goodbye, but Weiss was sure that it was just a practiced mask.

The last time Weiss was on Menagerie's streets after dark was when Ilia chased after her. She pressed herself closer to Blake to chase away the memories of that time. The presence of Blake's well-toned body next to her was reassuring and Weiss fully enjoyed the privilege of being so close to her. She had to enjoy it while it lasted.

They walked in silence to their new apartment with the noise of the crowd all around them. Weiss was so thoroughly absorbed in enjoying the moment in spite of the ever-present threat of the White Fang that she didn't even consider the issue of sleeping arrangements until the door closed behind them.

There was only one bed. It was simply unthinkable that she should share it with Blake. It was too soon. As teammates, they had huddled together for warmth before on school trips, but that was a communal experience, but this was different. They could draw the curtains tight and no one would be able to find out.

Blake was so forward all day that she might not see sharing the bed as something Weiss would take issue with. She had to try and sort out the situation before Blake got any ideas.

"You take the bed," said Weiss, "I can make do with the floor."

"The bed is large enough for both of us," replied Blake. She didn't seem surprised by Weiss' reluctance. "Besides, someone might see us and get the wrong idea."

That was an objection Weiss expected. Was Blake just trying to make her comfortable or was she just focused on drawing Ilia out? "It's a big step to take so fast," she admitted her real concern.

"I'll take the floor then," replied Blake immediately, "You're more tired and I'm more used to it."

Weiss' first instinct was to argue that it should be her who sleeps on the floor, but Blake had a point. She wouldn't get much rest on the hard wooden floor. Neither would Blake. They didn't have any sleeping bags with them. Blake might say that she was used to sleeping on the floor and in similar spots, but it's still be rough on her.

"Let's just both keep to our side of the bed," mumbled Weiss. It would be fine if there was enough space between them to prevent them from accidentally touching each other.

She sighed and headed to the bathroom to get some privacy when changing.


End file.
